In the Final Hours Men are Born
by AnisaLee
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, survival is all that matters.  Can Blaine and Kurt survive and hold on long enough to find their way back to each other?
1. Book 1: Chapter 1

Note: This is loosely based off of the television show "Falling Skies." It's a post-apocalyptic fic where the world is under attack from alien life forms and what happens when the human will to survive is tested.

Warnings: Will include minor character death and Blaine/Other.

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><p>January 2013<p>

**Day 207**

_**It's been 207 days - almost seven months since it started.**_

_**207 days of waiting.**_

_**207 days of hoping.**_

_**207 days of surviving.**_

_**We lost another man today. No, not man. He was a boy. A child. Barely 14 years old. I watched as he was murdered. There was nothing anyone could have done. Nothing I could have done to stop it.**_

_**So we just wait. The commander says we're going to leave tomorrow. Try to find somewhere safer. The thought of going makes me physically ill. Right now, we're somewhere in Kentucky. I think close to the Ohio borderline. I'm not entirely sure because for the first three months we moved around a lot. We didn't stay in one place for more than a few days. It was too risky. **_

_**It happened on a Tuesday. That much I know. I'm not sure of the time. It happened fast. It almost feels like a dream. A lifetime ago. **_

_**If you're reading this, we're heading south.**_

_**Good luck.**_

_**Blaine Anderson**_

_**The Ohio Insurgence **_

_**PS: If you cross a boy named Kurt Hummel, tell him I'm still alive and that I love him.**_

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Rough day."

Blaine nodded as he folded up the scrap of paper and wrote_**To Any Survivors**_on it.

"Why do you continue to do that?"

Blaine shrugged; tucking the note into a space that he hoped would be seen. Every time they moved on, he made sure to leave a note. Some sort of proof that they existed – that there was still existence out there.

"Do you really think anyone has read any of the other one's you've left behind?"

"I have hope," Blaine looked up at David Karofsky.

David took in a breath, "Do you think there is even still any left?"

"Hope?"

David nodded.

"I have to believe there is. I have to believe that…" _He's still alive. That he's still out there. _Blaine trailed off; the last part went on spoken.

"Okay," David tried to smile, "I'm going to go grab some food. You want to come?"

Blaine nodded, "You go ahead. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Alright," David conceded, rubbing Blaine's shoulder before picking up his gun and heading off towards the makeshift cafeteria.

Watching the bigger man leave, Blaine sighed. It was strange how he and David had become friends and combat partners. A man that he once loathed was now in charge of covering his back and vice versa. Blaine supposed, in times of war, men put aside any and all differences in order to just survive.

It had all started about a month after _they_ came. Blaine had being trying to be discreet sneaking into an abandoned grocery store between Westerville and Lima when he found himself trapped by one of those _things _(or Maligs – short for Malignant – as the company had taken to calling them). Then out of nowhere there was a group of men, one of them David Karofsky, taking it out with machine guns. After that, Blaine was taken in, fed, given a gun and sent off with the rest of the fighters.

David had joined the Ohio Insurgence almost immediately after the Maligs had come along with his father, Blaine came to understand. When Blaine joined the company, there were 22 women, 14 children and 47 men; 83 people total. Over the 207 days, they had dwindled down to 66. A family of five had went AWOL and left in the middle of the night. The rest had been killed during attacks – 2 kids, 3 women and 7 men. The hardest was to watch the first kid die. She was just four years old and had wandered into an abandoned toy store when they were looking for a new safe house further south. They had spotted some Maligs and no one had noticed as she slipped away and into the beginning of a cross-fire. She died trying to reach for a teddy bear in the broken storefront window. Blaine had reached in and grabbed the teddy bear, making sure they buried her with it.

Everyone in the company had taken it extremely hard. The little girl didn't have any family, and they had found her wandering an abandoned school by herself. She had taken to Blaine immediately for some reason. Blaine had come to love the little girl as if she was his own. Her name was Lila. She had a head full of sandy blonde curls and a bright smile. She reminded him so much of Kurt. It hurt and yet was wonderful to be around her energy.

It took him a few days, but when they finally made it to a safe location, an office building, Blaine found himself sobbing quietly in an empty closet. David had found him curled up sandwiched between a cleaning bucket and a broom. His sobs of _she's dead_ became sobs of _he's dead_. It didn't take long for David to realize that Blaine had meant Kurt. It was funny how fast things had changed. If someone had told a year before that he'd be crying into David Karofsky's shoulder, allowing the former football player to hold him – he'd have laughed hysterically.

But now…all he wanted to do was feel something – anything – but the sheer terror and hopelessness that befell him every day. He missed Kurt, he missed his friends, and he missed his life at Dalton. He didn't want to be there with a gun never more than two feet away from his hand and sleeping so lightly that any small noise seemed to wake him up. His mother used to joke that he could probably sleep through a hurricane. Now, he found himself waking up every half hour or so, making sure that everything was still safe. He wanted life to go back to the way it was before all this started. Most of all he just wanted Kurt's arms around him, holding him, telling him that everything was going to be alright, even though it wasn't.

"You missed dinner," David's voice startled him.

Blaine looked up at him blankly.

"I brought you something," A piece of stale bread, a few snack cakes and some water in a used bottle of soda, "We had filet mignon and lobster, but there wasn't any left for you," David joked.

"With redskin potatoes?" Blaine smiled slightly.

"You know it," David winked.

"Thanks," Blaine took a drink of the water.

David sat next to the other boy, "Commander says we're heading out before dawn."

"Okay."

"You okay?"

Blaine shrugged, "Define okay."

"You surviving?" David clarified.

"Aren't we all?"

David sighed, "Anderson."

Blaine shrugged again.

"You miss him." It wasn't a question.

"Can we just…not talk about this?" Blaine recoiled. It hurt too much to think about that. So, he put his energy into becoming one of the leaders of the Insurgence over the months. He was only freshly 18 years old and yet here he was leading men in battles against things that nightmares were made of. But despite all that and as much as he tried to deny it, Kurt was never far from his mind. He wondered what Kurt looked like, if he attempted to make himself presentable – even during this post apocalyptic reality they were all living in. He wondered if Kurt thought about him and if he was safe.

Things happened so fast when it all started. No one really knew what was going on. He supposed everyone's first instinct was that it was a terrorist attack. He wasn't sure. All he knew was he had been in the Dalton library with Jeff and Wes when all of a sudden the sky went black through the windows. He and Kurt had been texting back and forth trying to set up a date that weekend. Blaine had been planning to take him to the zoo up in Toledo and convincing him to let go and act like a kid. The last message he received from Kurt said _You're a dork_ _3_. He replied with _You love me for it_. That was it. Then it felt like the entire school had exploded. Jeff grabbed him and then they were running. Screams and bangs rang out through the usually quiet hallways. Blaine had kept running, reaching the main entrance when he realized that neither Jeff nor Wes were behind him.

He turned to go back and that's when he saw them. It was unbelievable. Things and foreign aircrafts and chaos. At any moment he believed he would wake up, but he didn't. He stood paralyzed for a second unable to move, until another student grabbed him; James. Then he was running again towards the parking lot.

Survival. That's what it boiled down to.

"You should get some rest," David said quietly, pulling Blaine's attention.

Blaine shivered in response.

"Cold?"

"A little," Blaine shrugged, pulling his jacket tighter around him. It was January. There was snow on the ground and they had very few blankets to pass around. Opting to give what they had to children and women first.

Wordlessly, David wrapped an arm around the smaller man and gently stroked Blaine's arm.

"I'm so tired," Blaine sighed.

David nodded.

Both men were just on the cusp of sleep when they heard feet shuffling closer. Immediately, Blaine grabbed his gun and aimed as he felt David do the same.

"Wait!" Jeremy, the teen they had found a few weeks prior held up his hands, "We found a person hiding in a house in the town over. Commander said to bring them to you for debriefing."

Blaine wiped his eyes and sat up, "Okay," He sighed disentangling himself from David.

Jeremy stepped aside and motioned for the person to come forward.

"Hi. Welcome to the Ohio Insurgence. I'm Blaine, second in command of the…oh my God!" His face went white. He couldn't believe who he was seeing. It wasn't possible.

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><p>AN: Reviews are always welcomed!


	2. Book 1: Chapter 2

Blaine stood in shock for a second before his arms were full of a warm body, "Tina?"

"Blaine. Oh my God, Blaine!"

He could feel some of her tears seeping through onto his shirt.

"Tina, how...what..." The words didn't seem to come.

After a few seconds, she pulled back a little calmer and for a minute they just stared at each other.

"How did you get here?" Blaine finally put a coherent thought together.

She sniffled, "We were heading south, trying to get to Georgia. Some people had said there was a place where the military was protecting people. I think maybe at the CDC. We split up thinking it might be easier getting around. We were supposed to meet at the Ohio-Kentucky border, but they never showed."

Blaine swallowed hard, "Who's...who's _we_?"

"Most of the glee club. Puck and Lauren went north towards Canada, but everyone else came this way," She wiped a loose tear off her cheek.

"A-and Kurt?" He was terrified of her answer.

Tina reached out for his hand, "I haven't seen him since we split up into groups nine days ago."

"But he's still alive?"

"He was. I don't know about now," She was almost whispering.

Blaine felt some relief course through his veins. Kurt had been alive. He had survived. "And everyone else?"

"We...we lost Sam a few months ago. We were ambushed and he..." She paused, "He was trying to protect Mercedes. And Artie. We lost Artie," She wiped at her eyes, "He couldn't out run those things even with us pushing him. We were hiding out in this abandoned house and in the middle of the night he left. We found his wheel chair smashed up and he was laying a...a few feet away. He was dead," She sobbed and threw herself into his arms once more.

The former Warbler didn't know what else to do. He could only think to rub soothing circles into her back as she broke down once more.

Pulling away, Tina scrubbed her red rimmed eyes, "I'm sorry. It's just…I can't believe this is happening."

"I know," Blaine nodded, "Come sit down." He led her to the place he and David had been trying to sleep a few moments ago.

"I'll uh, I'll go get her some water," David excused himself.

Blaine nodded and returned his attention to the girl next to him by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He didn't really know what to say to her. Even before everything had started, they hadn't been close friends. Sure, they had hung out with Kurt there as a buffer, but never one on one.

"So," Blaine cleared his throat, "Kurt…was Kurt…okay?" He kicked himself for the question as soon as it left his mouth.

Tina nodded, "As okay as anybody in this situation. He misses you."

"I miss him," Blaine sighed.

"When it first started he wanted to go find you, but we wouldn't let him. It was too dangerous," Tina explained.

Blaine leaned his head against hers, "I know."

"I just can't believe you're here," She closed her eyes.

"Who was all supposed to meet you?"

Tina toyed with the hem of Blaine's shirt sleeve before answering, "Kurt and Finn, and Rachel, Quinn and Mercedes. Mike and I were together and then he went out looking for food and…and he never came back," She tried to hold her tears at bay. She was so sick of crying.

"It'll be…" _Alright?_ Blaine stopped himself. Nothing was alright.

"I brought you some crackers we had," David reappeared with another soda bottle filled with water.

"David Karofsky?" Tina asked, as if noticing him for the first time.

David nodded, "Hey."

The Asian girl didn't know quite what to do. She had spent the better part of the past couple years hating the boy in front of her for what he did to Kurt.

"Hi," She whispered, scooting a little closer to Blaine.

"I'll, uh, I'll leave you two alone," David excused himself quickly.

Blaine watched him go and leaned his head against Tina's. It was such a relief to see someone else he knew from life _before_. In a way he could pretend that they were somewhere else. Maybe McKinley's auditorium or Kurt's house. Somewhere safe. Somewhere comforting.

"I'm…" Blaine stopped himself, not really knowing what he was going to say.

Tina nodded, "I know."

"Kurt's alive," Blaine repeated.

"I…I don't know," Tina said truthfully, "He-he didn't show up at the spot. I don't…I don't know. He could be -"

"Please. Please don't go there," Blaine begged.

Tina nodded, holding back her tears, "I'm sorry."

Hours later, after Blaine had managed to scrounge up a blanket for Tina, he quietly waited until she was asleep before sneaking away.

David pulled Blaine towards him from their spot several feet away from a sleeping Tina.

"You doing okay?"

Blaine shrugged, "It was a shock."

"I'm sure," David agreed, taking Blaine's hand into his, "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Blaine shook his head, "I just want…" He trailed off, knowing that David would get it. That's how things were between the two of them.

"Okay," David nodded, leaning Blaine backwards until the other boy was flat on his back.

Blaine sighed, "I miss him. I miss him so much. He's not…he can't -"

"I know," David's hands reached for the zipper on Blaine's pants.

"Everything is so fucked up," Blaine's hands gripped David's shoulders, biting his lip to stifle any noise as David's hand skimmed the front of his underwear. Pretty soon the larger man had Blaine free of the restrictive garment.

"Shhh."

Blaine nodded, allowing himself to be touched. He rolled his lips into his mouth trying to steady his breathing.

"It's going to be okay," David's promise was empty.

Trying not to think, Blaine just allowed himself to feel. He concentrated on the hand that was massaging him, the hot breath on his neck, the sensation building in his groin. They had an unspoken rule – no kissing. So touches of the lips were replaced with heavy panting across moist skin; and he always kept his eyes closed. Somehow it made it a little better.

"It's okay," David whispered again, his breath now on Blaine's ear, and that was enough for him. Everything came spiraling down and waves crashed inside him and all around him.

Blaine gasped and moaned quietly, waiting for the tremors circulating his body to stop. After a while, his breathing stopped being erratic and returned to somewhat normal and that's when the guilt settled in. It always settled in. They hadn't been doing this long. Maybe a few months as a way to comfort one another in ways words could not.

Curling in on himself, Blaine quickly did himself up and turned away from David, "This wasn't right."

"What?" A hand stroked down Blaine's back.

"I'm cheating on Kurt," Blaine whispered, "I'm a cheater." For the first time, the thought crossed Blaine's mind, "I'm cheating on Kurt. I've _been_ cheating on Kurt!"

David shook his head, knowing Kurt couldn't see him, "You didn't know…you still don't know if…if he's…alive."

"He's alive!" Blaine almost shrieked, "It's not right," He finally sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees and pulling them towards his chest, "Fuck, David, what are we doing?" His voice was a harsh whisper.

"I-I don't know," David replied honestly, "I-," He placed a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder, only to have it tense under his touch.

Blaine shook his head and closed his eyes for a second, "I need to think," He stood up on wobbly legs, "I just…I need to think," He grabbed his discarded gun from the floor and walked the few feet back to Tina. He laid down next to the girl and wrapped his arms around her, trying to stop the ice knot forming in his stomach from spreading throughout his body.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Run, man, shit!"

"It's behind you! Shoot it!"

"I'm trying, I can't… can't get the -"

"I've got it! Just get the hell down!"

A crackling bang rang through the quiet sky, causing a few remaining birds to flutter up.

"That was close," A gasped breath.

"We can't get caught like that again."

"I'm sorry! It was all my fault."

"We just need to be more careful."

A branch cracking behind them immediately ceased all talking and two sets of eyes turned towards the noise.

"Oh my God," Finn almost dropped the gun he was holding.

"You're okay!" Mike's voice was full of relief.

After they had split up, everything had gotten so complicated. In hindsight it was a stupid idea, but they had thought it was a faster way to move. Finn and Kurt had gotten split up that first night. They had run into trouble and by the time the fire fight was over, Finn was left alone in the woods. He tried to find his brother, but those _things_ seemed to come out of nowhere at any given time. Finn ran into Mike a few days later, both boys trying to make their way south. They knew that they had passed the meeting day and hoped that the others had gone on safely.

Finn was the first to reach the person and pulled them into a hug, "I never thought I'd see you again."

"I'm fine," The person promised, "And I…I found someone," They motioned for the other person to step forward.

"Oh my God," Finn repeated. There in front of him stood both Kurt and Burt, "Burt, you're alive!"

Burt nodded, pulling his stepson to him.

"And my mom? Where's my mom?" Finn asked eagerly, stepping out of Burt's embrace.

"I," Burt took a breath, "Your mother was a brave woman and I-I loved her."

"What're you saying?" Finn treaded cautiously.

Burt placed a comforting hand on Finn's shoulder, "She was working at the hospital when the attacks started. The hospital…the hospital is gone."

"What?"

"I'm sorry," Burt said sincerely.

"But…you're here. She could be -" Finn argued, only to have Kurt pull him into a hug.

"I'm sorry," Burt repeated, watching his sons.

Finn allowed himself a few minutes to grieve before pulling away and wiping his eyes, "How'd you get here?" He asked Burt.

"Right after everything went down, I jumped in the truck to come get you guys from school. Half the roads were closed and it was chaos. I tried everything I could to get to that damn school. I couldn't. The army was everywhere at first and when I did get there, everything was gone. So, I got in my truck and started driving south. Everyone was going south, you know. And I figured you'd go that way too," Burt wrapped an arm around Kurt's shoulder, "We're going to make it boys," He promised and turned to Mike, "You too."

Mike nodded.

"Okay then," Burt cleared his throat, "We need to find somewhere safe for the night. I thought I saw an abandoned party store back up the road a bit."

Later that night, they tucked themselves into the far recesses of _Good Times Happy Parties_ store. There were a few boxes of stale snack cakes buried in a box and one can of soda that they passed along to one another. They had set fire to a few paper plates and wrappings for light and heat.

Mike had gotten up to use the bathroom, a corner as far away from the group. They used a plastic punch bowl that was half smashed in as a toilet bowl. As soon as he had finished, Mike turned to go back to the group and that's when he saw it. A piece of dirty paper sticking out from between two stacked boxes.

_**To Any Survivors**_

Curious, Mike opened it and started to read, his eyebrows shooting up when he got to the end. He quickly jogged over to the group and placed the paper in Kurt's hands.

"Read," Mike commanded.

Kurt nodded dumbfounded before looking over the sheet. The group watched as his eyebrows raised and his eyes became glossy.

"What?" Burt asked curiously.

Kurt turned to them, mouth ajar, "Blaine was here. Blaine was alive. Blaine…Blaine survived."

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><p>AN: **Reviews are always wanted and appreciated!** Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far :) It truly means a lot!


	3. Book 1: Chapter 3

The crunch of the leaves beneath their feet seemed to reverberate for miles, sounding like bursting bombs along woods. They traveled a little off the main highway, but the road always remained in sight. Those _things_ usually used the roads and they had come to understand that _they_ didn't wander unless they saw a human.

Kurt watched as the group walked along, each person carrying a gun. It was a strange sight to see. He himself had a shot gun that came from a hunting store a few blocks away from McKinley.

"You okay, dude?" Finn slowed down, his steps falling into pace with Kurt's.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, "How are you? I'm so sorry about your mom. I-I loved Carole, too."

Finn nodded, "Thanks."

The two brothers walked in companionable silence for a while. They followed Mike and Burt as they passed a sign that read **Welcome to Georgetown** with a Kentucky state outline next to it.

"We're way past the Kentucky border," Burt announced, "Georgetown is a little to the north of Lexington," he noted. The only reason he knew this was because his parents used to take him to Lexington on family vacations when he was boy, "We just need to keep following I-75."

"Okay, dad," Kurt nodded back.

Finn cleared his throat, pulling Kurt's attention back to him, "I was…uh…I was thinking that I wanted to do something for my mom."

"Okay," Kurt moved his hand to Finn's bicep and gently squeezed, "We can do that."

"I just think she should be remembered, you know?" Finn whispered and Kurt could see him holding back tears.

"Hey. I know," he stopped them both, before pulling the taller boy into a hug, not saying anything else.

What could he say?

It was okay? It wasn't.

Things would get better? They might not.

She's in Heaven looking down at you? Kurt didn't believe that was true.

There were no words of comfort he could give. The only thing he could do was empathize. He knew how much it sucked losing a mom. Hell, it took Kurt almost ten years for the hurt to fade entirely. That's not to say there wasn't still a dull thud, but it wasn't the devastating feeling any more.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Finn pulled away and quickly swiped at his eyes.

"I'm here," Kurt whispered, "As soon as we get somewhere safe for the night, we'll honor her, okay?"

Finn nodded, "Thanks Kurt."

"Hey, what're brothers for?" Kurt tried to reassure Finn.

"Thanks," the taller boy half smiled at Kurt.

Not another word was said for the rest of the time. In fact the only sound was that of the wind occasionally blowing through the trees and a crackling in the distance from one of those _things_. It was sickening and yet kind of peaceful at the same time. Very few cars still ran across deserted roads.

Over the past few months, they barely saw any vehicles. When they did, it was full of men with guns and big egos. When it had just been the group of New Directions, they had made the mistake of trying to flag down a car, only to have the men inside try and take the few supplies they had.

Kurt knew that the other boys probably saw him as less than a man and maybe even not consciously meaning to do so. At first he had been scared to use a gun, but over time he had proven to have the best aim out of almost everyone. He knew he had proven himself and it terrified him a bit on how good he had become at shooting and fighting. Even now, his hands barely left the gun. It was never known when it'd be needed.

For a split second, Kurt let his hand fall from the metal object and wiped his palm on his jeans, feeling the paper in his pocked crinkle. Blaine. He had spent months wondering if his boyfriend had lived or…if he hadn't. When everything had happened, he had wanted to go to Dalton right away. He had gotten into his car to make the familiar drive to Westerville, when Finn had stopped him. No one really knew what was going on and the armed services, police, pretty much all the government protection agencies had closed down roads and would only allow them to go to a "safe zone" they had set up.

Things in the safe zone were very much regulated and Kurt had prayed that Blaine would walk in at any moment. It never happened and one day when the New Directions had decided to walk around the designated perimeter of the zone, the ships came and attacked. Everything became chaos again and they had grabbed onto each other and ran, dodging into a nearby grocery store with the door kicked in. It was there that they made the decision to fend for themselves and head south. Puck and Lauren had chosen to abandon the group and head north up through Canada, hopefully making it to Alaska.

So, the remaining New Directions kept heading south. They had heard whispers throughout the "safe zone" that the CDC was being turned into a military safe operation and that they could be safe from attack there.

Kurt had wanted to go back to Ohio right away and find Burt and Blaine and it took all of Finn and Sam's energy to pin him to the ground and convince him that it was a suicide mission and if Burt and Blaine had really survived, they'd most likely head south too.

At least now he had some lifeline. Some connection to Blaine. Some shred of hope that they'd be together again.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"You doing okay?" Blaine asked, hoisting his rifle a little higher over his shoulder.

Tina nodded, "Great," she muttered.

Blaine sighed, "I know this sucks, but the Maligs have a way of finding us. We can't stay anywhere too long or else we're all dead."

"So, where are we going?" She softened a bit.

"I don't know. Commander will let us know when we get there," Blaine shrugged.

"And you just follow him blindly?" She asked.

Blaine swallowed, "I trust him, Tina. This company saved me and they trust me now, so I trust them."

She nodded, "And you're the big bad second in charge?"

"Something like that. I guess they needed someone to turn to and somehow I became that person," He told her.

"And Karofsky?"

"He's…different."

Tina watched as a kid who looked barely fifteen stopped to relay something to Blaine.

"He's changed," Blaine continued as the kid sprinted back.

Tina tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, "I don't know. I mean you saw what he did to Kurt."

"He's…caring," he thought for a second, "He cares, Tina. He cares about me and he cares about the survival of this company."

Tina sighed, crossing her arms, "I don't trust him, Blaine."

"I've been with him in this company for months now and…we're fighting on the same side here," Blaine explained, "He's helped me a lot."

As if on cue, David picked that time to make his presence known, "Blaine, Commander wants you and I to scout out a car dealership a few miles up the road. See if there are any cars with gas that are drive-able."

"How does he know?" Blaine asked.

"He saw what used to be a billboard sign. Told me the exit number, shouldn't be too far," Karofsky shrugged.

Blaine nodded, "We'll be back later," he turned to Tina, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a quick squeeze before heading off.

The two walked in silence as they bypassed the group, guns now drawn and ready to fire at a moment's notice. They always had to be ready. They never let themselves lull into a false sense of security if they didn't encounter a Malig for a few days.

"Usually Ray and Jim go out on these scouting missions," Blaine commented.

David nodded, "I know."

"So why is Commander sending us?"

"I – I volunteered us," David looked back to make sure nothing was coming up on them, "We…I thought we needed to talk."

Blaine shrugged, "Okay. What did you want to talk about?"

"Umm…what happened yesterday," David replied awkwardly.

"What about it? It was a mistake," Blaine scanned the left side of the road, while David took the right.

"Was it?"

"This whole thing was a mistake," Blaine continued, "I love Kurt. I…I was planning on marrying him one day. I was wrong. I cheated."

David's sigh seemed to echo around the trees, "No," the taller man tried to reason, "You did nothing wrong."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Blaine shrugged, "Doesn't matter. It's done. Whatever we were doing is done now."

"What are you going to tell Kurt when you see him?" David asked, for the first time his words didn't challenge the idea that Kurt was alive.

"The truth," Blaine stated clearly.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Night fall was always the worst. There was no electricity, which meant no light source, which meant vulnerability. No one wanted to be caught off guard or stranded when darkness hit. Luckily, Mike had suggested they stop a few hours prior when they passed a row of town homes. It had still been light out and they had debated going on for several more miles, but the further south they traveled, the more bouts of nothingness they encountered. Sometimes they could go several hours without seeing anything but, hills, grass, land and trees.

Kurt had somehow managed to gather the few non-perishable foods in the house and make probably one of the best meals they had eaten since the attacks first happened. Afterwards, he had gathered everyone into the living room, after the house had been secured and the windows had been boarded up as best they could with the furniture. The front door had been kicked in by someone else and the latch did hook, but they had stack a few chairs in front of it, hoping it'd last the night.

Somehow, Kurt had found candles and lit several, making a makeshift altar. He pulled out his iPhone, powering it on and pulling a picture of Carole up on the screen. In the months following the attacks, he tried to keep his phone off most of the time just in case a signal from somewhere came through. The battery was on its last legs because every so often he'd turn it on and look at a photo of him and Blaine, or re-read some of the text messages the other boy had sent.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he placed his phone in between two of the candles.

"Finn," Kurt prodded gently, "Would you like to say something?"

Nodding, Finn cleared his throat, "My mom was…she was awesome. She raised me on her own, you know. She – she was the best," his voice cracked a bit and he bit back a sob.

"I-I love you Carole," Burt's voice cut through the room, "You were…well you were everything to me."

Mike settled a comforting hand on Finn's shoulder, "I didn't know you that well Mrs. Hudson, but you were always nice to me. You will be missed."

"Thank you Carole," Kurt swallowed around the lump in his throat, "You were…you were a mother to me. I'm sorry I never got the chance to tell you that," he scrubbed his eyes.

Finn reached out his hand to grasp Kurt's in his. It was funny how there was a time where Finn would have never been caught dead holding another guys hand, but he didn't care. Kurt was his brother in every sense of the word and he needed him.

Looking up, Kurt let a mild flash of surprise grace his face before masking it and wiping his eyes again with his free hand.

"I…I feel like we…s-should do something else," Finn sniffled.

Kurt nodded before beginning to sing, "Help, I have done it again. I have been here many times before." As Kurt continued to sing, everyone drew silent. The only sound that could be heard was the wind outside, and when it was over no one moved for a few moments.

"Thank you," it was Finn who broke the moment, "Thank you so much," he pulled the Kurt into a tight hug, not letting go for what seemed like hours, but was only a couple minutes.

"Why that song?" Mike asked quietly once the brothers had separated.

Kurt cleared his throat, trying to compose himself after being in Finn's arms, "It…it was Carole's favorite song. She heard it on a television show. When I had to do an audition at Dalton, she suggested it to me. I didn't do it then, but that…that was just for her."

"Um," Burt cleared his throat, "We – we should get some rest. Those things come out at night and if they see the light flickering…"

Mike nodded and walked the few feet to blow out all the candles except one and shut off Kurt's phone, handing it back to him before picking up the still burning candle and placing it on the floor in the center of the room.

When everyone had situated, Finn had been the first to fall asleep – the emotional day catching up with him. Mike had joined him a few minutes later, leaving only Kurt and Burt awake.

"I can hear you moving around," Burt sat up, looking over at his son.

Kurt fidgeted for a second, debating whether or not to pretend to sleep or not before he decided and sat up.

"I know it's been a hard day."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded.

"We haven't talked since I found you a few days ago," Burt moved closer to Kurt.

Kurt nodded.

"Despite everything," Burt started, "I'm still your dad and I love you."

"I know," Kurt tried to smile, "It's just…sometimes I can't believe this is happening."

Burt sighed, "Me either, kid."

"I hope Blaine's okay," Kurt blurted out before shaking his head, "I'm sorry. Today was about Carole and you need time to – "

Burt shook his head, "It hurts, but I've managed to deal with it for months now. You know what? This is going to sound shitty, but I'm so glad it was her instead of you. You know you're first in my life. Always have been and always will." Burt was never one for huge displays of affection, but this was a new world and he needed his son to know that.

"I love you too, dad."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

David and Blaine had made it to the car dealership just as night was falling. It was more than "a few miles" up the road. More like ten miles.

"Let's secure the back first," Dave suggested, looking at the array of broken glass that once housed a car showroom. Almost the entire lot was empty, and the cars still there had the gas tank open, obviously people had been there siphoning gas.

Blaine moved ahead of the larger man, aiming his gun as David covered him. The back room was dark, except for a few rays of moonlight that seemed to filter in.

Before either man could comprehend what was happening, they were being hit.

"Pinche puta! Go back to hell!" A shrieking voice stopped Blaine from aiming his gun. He knew that voice.

"Hey!" Blaine screamed, "Stop," he covered his face from what he now could tell were fists.

"Pudrete en el infierno!" The voice continued to scream.

Grasping a hold of the wrists attached to the fists, Blaine straightened up, "Santana!"

The wrists stopped struggling, "Anderson?"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah."

"David?" She spotted over Blaine's shoulder.

"Hey Santana," David nodded.

Blaine placed a hand on her shoulder, "What are you doing here?"

"Brittany and I got separated. We were with the others and –"

"I know," Blaine nodded, "We found Tina yesterday. She told us how you all split up."

"Yeah well, it was a stupid idea, but you know it was Frankenteen and we shouldn't have listened to him in the first place," Santana ranted, "And now Brittany's gone. I told her to stay when we found a safe place, but she wandered off and I couldn't find her and then I got her and todo quedó en mal estado para arriba. Joder las cosas. Que se jodan al infierno." By the time she finished, she had tears running down her cheeks. She swiped angrily at them.

Blaine shook his head, and pulled her into a hug, "Hey, everything will be okay. We'll find her. It'll be okay. We'll find her. We'll find her. We'll find him."

"Him?" Santana sniffled, pulling away.

"I mean her," Blaine nodded.

"You meant Kurt," she deadpanned.

Blaine nodded.

"We'll find all of them," she decided, "David, give me your gun."

"W-what?" David had taken a step back to give the pair a moment.

"Give me your gun," she held out her hand.

David stood, not sure of what to do.

Santana rolled her eyes, "I said give me your gun."

Hesitantly, David handed it to her.

"Okay, let's go," she stated, "There's nothing here. All the tanks are empty out there and there's nothing in the back."

"We need to head back to the Insurgence. I think they'll probably be about four or five miles behind us," Blaine nodded.

"Insurgence?"

Blaine nodded again, "Yeah. The Ohio Insurgence. We keep each other safe."

"O-okay," Santana let her guard drop for only a second, "It's safe?"

"Yeah," Blaine promised, pulling her into another hug.

Just then, a horrid screeching sound reverberating around the walls and they found themselves face to face with a Malig.

"Shit!" David yelled, ducking behind Blaine and Santana.

Blaine raised his gun, only to have Santana shake her head, "I got this," she smirked.

"Go to Hell," she laughed in a maniacal way, and shot at the thing. Four rounds and it was dead.

"H-how did you do that?" Blaine gaped, "It usually takes us at least ten to twenty rounds to kill a Malig."

"Malig?" She asked, "Is that what you're calling them? Anyways, doesn't matter. You am for their throat. Apparently if you hit the throat just right, you take them out."

"I'll remember that," Blaine stood in awe of the girl in front of him, "Good job Lopez," He smiled, trying to act like they were back in old days. He and Santana always had an unspoken respect for each other and a connection that he couldn't figure out.

She nodded, "It's how we do it in Lima Heights Adjacent."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

A creaking from the front porch instantly awoke the men sleeping in the living room, huddled around a dying candle. No one spoke as they grabbed up their weapons and stood up, ready to battle whatever came their way.

The chairs they had stacked had easily been pushed aside and Kurt held his breath as the dark figure came through the doorway.

Kurt's finger found its way to the gun trigger and he waited for the figure to move a little closer inward.

Everyone held their collective breaths. One more step and they had their shot.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you so much for all your comments. Thank you especially to callmerayray for rec'ing me this past week in the Kurt_Blaine comm Friday rec post. It was so nice to see! It makes me feel like all the hours I put into writing this are appreciated and it truly meant so much!

Spanish translations:

_todo quedó en mal estado para arriba. Joder las cosas. Que se jodan al infierno_ – **everything got so messed up. Fuck those things. Fuck them to hell. **(This one went through Google translator, so sorry if it's not exact)

_Pinche puta_ – **fucking bitch**

_Pudrete en el infierno_ – **rot in Hell**

The song Kurt sings is "Breathe Me" by Sia

Thank you all for the alerts, but if you have a moment please leave a review or a comment :)


	4. Book 1: Chapter 4

_The sheets against his back were cold on Kurt's naked skin. Each nerve seemed to be going into overdrive as he simultaneously felt like he was burning up and freezing at the same time. It was as if every cell was fighting a waging war, trying to burst through and rain pleasure down on him. _

_"I love you," Blaine's voice was just a wisp of breath on Kurt's cheek. _

_"I love you too," Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling the shorter boy completely on top of him and flipping them over._

_Blaine chuckled, husky from the back of his throat, "Well, this is new."_

"_Who says you always get to have all the fun?" Kurt teased, grinding himself into Blaine._

"_What do you have in mind, Mr. Hummel?" Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck, pulling him down for a deep, hard kiss._

"_Blaine," Kurt moaned, "Blaine, Blaine, Blaine…"_

"Blaine."

His body jerked involuntary as reality slammed back into him and the world of safety and love disappeared back into his unconscious.

"What?" Blaine automatically reached for his weapon and looked up with bleary eyes.

"You and I have perimeter duty," David whispered.

It all came flooding back to Blaine. They had stopped in a heavily wooded area for the night with men and able women taking shifts guarding the campsite. A team had searched earlier to try and find a space, but there hadn't been any buildings that would accommodate their group. It had been a rule amongst the company that if they all couldn't fit into a shelter, then they didn't stay there. Plain and simple.

"Okay," Blaine tried to make himself wake up and grasped his gun, following David through the woods.

Blaine had never realized how dark the night was, until the attacks happened. After a few days, all the electricity everywhere had gone done and the power grid just disintegrated across the country. Probably across the world as well. There were broadcasts made over the airwaves by generators throughout the first few months, but then they stopped. All the people in governmental power had gone underground, including the president and there had been no word from anyone since.

The commander of the Ohio Insurgence had been a colonel in the Army, taking over and organizing whatever survivors were found. Blaine had stepped up a few months after being found and became a lieutenant of sorts. He supposed it was natural for him to take on a role of leadership from his days as a Warbler.

"So, maybe we should talk," David started, tentatively with his gun drawn and ready to go.

Blaine shrugged, "We don't have anything to talk about, David."

"Yes we do," David quietly argued, "If anything else, we're friends."

"I don't think we were every friends," the curly haired boy sorted.

"Of course we were!" David frowned, "Are. We are."

Sighing, Blaine turned to face David for a second before continuing to monitor the perimeter, "David, we were just thrown in this situation together. And yeah, you've helped me and been there for me. You got me through a lot of this, but I don't know…"

"Is it because of what we've been doing," the former football player asked hesitantly, "Because we've been having se –"

Blaine's step came to a halt and David almost ran into him, "We gave each other a few hand jobs and fooled around a couple times. It was something we both needed at the time and that's…that's done now."

"I-I don't believe you," David shook his head, "I know you don't want this to stop. You need this to survive, just as much as I do."

"No," Blaine shook his head, "This whole thing was a mistake. Just one big mistake."

Reaching out, David grabbed Blaine's wrist, "You don't mean that."

"I love Kurt. I'm in love with Kurt. I don't know what I was thinking with you! Okay? I love Kurt. I want to be with Kurt," Blaine tugged his arm, trying to get out of David's grasp.

David shook his head, "Blaine…" He let go of the other boy's wrist and took a step back.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered.

"I am too," David retook the few steps towards Blaine and pulled the other man towards him, smashing his lips against Blaine's. The smaller boy went to protest and pushed at David's chest before all the emotions took over. He was lonely, scared, lost, confused, hurt and so in love with Kurt that sometimes he couldn't see straight. He had never allowed David to kiss him. That wasn't part of it. Somehow hand jobs just seemed so impersonal, like they didn't mean anything. Blaine supposed that in the back of his head it was about release and nothing more. He just wanted to feel something… anything that wasn't terror and hopelessness at the situation. For those moments when he was on the verge of coming, he could feel. It wasn't pleasure, but it was something. Something that let him know that he was alive.

"No," Blaine snapped back to reality, "No," he managed to push David away. It was just in time to hear a step behind him.

"Shit," David breathed aiming his weapon in the direction of the sound.

Blaine held his gun steadfast waiting for something to come out of the woods.

"You," the voice growled and Blaine lowered his gun. "You," it repeated.

"Wait…Santana?" Blaine asked, stepping closer to the shadow coming from behind a tree.

Santana ran the last few steps and Blaine didn't have time to react when her fist landed on his cheek, "How could you?"

"Santana, shhh! Maligs will hear you," David warned.

"I don't care!" She screamed, "You! How could you do that to Kurt?"

"What?" Blaine was dazed, rubbing his cheek.

Santana went to punch him again, but David was too quick and grabbed her, "You and Dave! After all he did to Kurt! Gah! Let me go!" She wormed out of David's grasp, "Fuck you!"

"Santana! Wait –" Blaine tried to stop her, but she had already disappeared into the night.

"Fuck," he turned around and marched back to look over the perimeter of the camp, "Fuck."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Steady," Burt whispered as the boys aimed their guns at the doorway, "No sudden shots or we'll attract more. We got one chance at this."

Each of the guys felt their heart beats quicken and tightened their grip on their weapons. When the door finally crept open, Kurt already had his finger half squeezing the trigger.

"Umm… hello?"

"Shit," Finn sighed in relief, lowering his gun.

Burt stepped forward urging the person into the house and shutting the door tight behind them.

"Brittany?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

The blonde almost cowered, "Is..is it not scary here? Are the monsters here?"

"It's safe here," Burt set down his gun, took off his coat and wrapped it around the girls shoulders. After all this time, she was still wearing her McKinley cheerleading uniform, albeit a very dirty uniform. Kurt remembered when they had first set out on their own, they had passed a mall with the doors kicked in. They had pillaged some of the stores, taking what they could carry in backpacks, including new clothes. Brittany had taken a few things but insisted staying in her McKinley cheerleading uniform. The girl had delusions that they would return to Lima one day and she'd argued that she would need her cheerleading uniform if they did. Not even Santana could talk her out of it.

"How did you get here, Britt?" Kurt took a step towards the girl and she immediately latched onto his arm.

Brittany cuddled into his side, "I don't know. Santana went to get food and I saw this cat. It reminded me of Lord Tubbington and I thought maybe it was him because maybe he found me. So I followed him and then I got lost from Santana and I couldn't find anyone. Then I was walking and saw some lights flickering here and thought maybe it was safe."

"It is," Kurt promised, taking his former girlfriend of a day into his arms, "Come on. You must be exhausted. Let's try and sleep."

"Th-they can't get us in here?" She looked up at Kurt with pleading eyes.

Kurt shook his head.

"I-I have this," she pulled a gun out of her skirt.

"Brittany, where did you get that?" Finn gaped.

She set the small handgun beside her, "I found it. It was next to this guy who was…he wasn't alive anymore."

"It's okay," Burt tried to calm her, "Let's get rid of the light."

"Right," Mike agreed, already snuffing out the few candles in the middle of the room.

"We'll find Santana?" Brittany whispered once everyone had settled down once again.

Kurt didn't know how to answer, "We'll do our best to find her."

"And your dolphin. We'll get him too," she scooted closer to him.

"I hope so," Kurt nodded, letting himself take comfort in the girl wrapped around him. He thought back to the letter in his pocket and allowed himself to hope. He hadn't allowed himself to entertain the thought that he'd ever see Blaine again for quite some time. But now…now he had something tangible. He had something real that proved Blaine was out there somewhere. Maybe, just maybe they were taking the same path that Blaine had traveled.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Santana huffed when Blaine sat next to her the next morning. She turned away from him, nibbling on a few potato chips that were way too hard, but was one of the few things the group had to sustain themselves. They'd save the cans of beans and flour they had until they made it to somewhere more permanent and safe.

"Where's Tina?" Blaine asked quietly.

"She went with a couple people to try and find some more water," Santana answered curtly.

Blaine nodded, wishing he had something to do with his hands. He had gotten his breakfast rations, but had given them away to Tommy, a little boy whose mother had been killed a few months prior. The kid needed the food more than he did.

The girl next to him went to get up, but he gently laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Santana, please…let me explain what you saw," Blaine pleaded.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure of what I saw. No explanations required," she seethed.

Blaine shook his head, "No! It's not…it doesn't mean anything to me. It's over now."

"It should have never started to begin with," Santana harshly whispered back, not wanting to draw the attention of the entire camp.

"I know. Okay?" His voice full of exasperation.

Santana filled spared him a glance and softened just a bit, "How did it start?"

"I-I don't even know," Blaine answered honestly, "I felt so numb and he was there. I love Kurt. I will always love Kurt. I just…I didn't know if he was alive or…or…dead. I just wanted to feel, Santana. I just wanted to make it stop and feel something."

For a second Blaine thought she was going to hit him, but she sighed and handed him a few of her remaining potato chips, "Here. You're going to need something in your stomach."

"Thanks," Blaine knew the small gesture had more meaning behind it.

"Yeah, well," she shrugged, "I don't want to have to save your ass later when you pass out."

Blaine half smiled and bumped shoulders with her.

"So, where's David?" She addressed the elephant in the room.

"I don't know. He left earlier this morning with a few of the guys to go scope out a more permanent location a few miles south. The commander is thinking about trying to take us to the CDC. See if there's any truth to the rumor about protection and shelter there," Blaine explained.

Santana snorted, "Do you really believe that CDC crap?"

"Why?"

"Do you honestly think the government cares about what happens to a handful of survivors? You know as well as I do that they all went underground right after the initial attack," she argued, "They even left their own military to fend for themselves. We're alone out here Blaine."

Blaine thought for a second, munching quietly on the chips. He had learned to take small bites and chew thoroughly as an attempt to get the food to last longer. "There has to be some hope for these people," he whispered.

"There is no hope," she retorted.

"Santana, these people need something to believe in. They need to believe that they aren't just blindly following around a 60 year old former Army colonel and an 18 year old former high school senior." Over the last few months, he'd realized that not only was he fighting for his own survival and the chance that he might see Kurt again, but he was also fighting for these people. People who he'd never met until after the attack. People that had families, jobs and lives. People who didn't deserve to die.

"Maybe," she shrugged, "Come on then, Mr. Hope. Let's get our orders from the commander."

Blaine shook his head, "Our orders?"

"What? You think I'm going to sit by while you guys get to fight. No way! I want a piece of those fucking bastards too," she stood up and rubbed her hands on her jeans, "Let's go."

For the first time in months, Blaine felt real hope – not just a fabricated, fake feeling of hope that he emanated for the good of the group. But real and true hope.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Do you see anything?" Finn whispered.

Mike looked back, gun perched in his hands, "No. I think it's safe to go in."

The group had gotten a later start then they had intended. They had stuffed the backpack Finn was carrying and Kurt's messenger bag full of anything useful from the house and were off. All of them wishing they could just stay and exist somewhere, but it was too dangerous. Not with those _things_ walking around. They had to get to the CDC where it was safe.

Once they got walking, it had taken a few hours, but they managed to make it to an abandoned warehouse. They had spotted a few of the creatures on their way, but hurried by not wanting a fight. Those _things_ moved fast and had managed to create weapons out of scraps from the destruction they had caused.

Mike and Finn were the first ones to go inside the building followed by the rest of the group.

"It's cleaned out," Mike announced, "This is the only thing I found," he held up a smashed snack cake.

Burt nodded, "Then let's get out of here. We don't want them _things_ finding us."

"Right," Kurt agreed following the group outside. He never saw the slip of paper slightly hanging out between two boxes with the words **To Any Survivors** written on it.

* * *

><p>AN: REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED. :) Please review... it motivates me to write. :D


	5. Book 1: Chapter 5

Blaine sighed, sitting gingerly on the bed. The company had traveled for a week straight in snow and sleet. He had tried to remain as positive for the group as possible, giving some of the layers of clothing he was wearing to the children and women. He was grateful that they hadn't run into any Maligs on the way – figuring that maybe the cold had deterred them for a little while.

They had finally made it to an abandoned motel outside of Eaton in Tennessee. There were enough rooms to occupy everyone, and they had running water – albeit cold running water, but it was water nonetheless and they had towels, toilet paper and had found some hotel uniform shirts in a storage room. Blaine supposed people were more concerned about scrounging food from the hotel kitchen, than creature comforts like fresh linen and paper products.

He yawned and took off his shirt and replaced it with one of the hotel shirts. He couldn't remember the last time it had been washed and cringed. He made a mental note to wash it later in the bathtub as he tossed it onto the desk. At least they had a place to call "home" for a little while. It took a bit of convincing but Blaine and a few other men from the company had persuaded him that they needed to stay, at least for a little while, to rest and regroup.

Sighing, Blaine got up and walked to the foot of the bed and slipped under the blankets. It had been so long since he had gotten some decent sleep. He hoped that he would be able to rest knowing that they were somewhat protected.

"Hey, you sleeping?"

Blaine inwardly groaned.

"Santana, I think he is. Let's leave him alone."

"Can it, Chang. He can sleep later."

"But –"

"I'm up," Blaine sat up, "I'm up." He looked towards the door to see Santana with smirk on her face and Tina looking on apologetically.

Santana nodded, satisfied with herself and sauntered into the room.

"Well?" Blaine looked at her.

Tina rushed over, "We're sorry for waking you up, but –"

"We need your help," Santana threw herself down next to Blaine.

"With what?"

Tina smiled softly, "We were just downstairs with some of the kids while they're mom's set up their rooms and we wanted to do something for them."

"That's great," Blaine yawned, "They need something to keep their mind off what's really going on."

"Here's the deal brillo head, we don't have much to entertain them, but we wanted to sing to them," Santana looked at Blaine expectantly.

He sat stunned for a moment, "Sing? What?"

Tina nodded, "We could do a three part harmony and maybe a little dance for them."

"I…I don't…you two go ahead," Blaine averted his eyes when confusion marred both girls' faces.

"Us two? The whole point of this is the _three_ part harmony, in case you missed it," Santana stated sarcastically.

Blaine shook his head, "I…I can't. I'm really tired. You two go ahead."

"But –" Tina went to argue.

"No. Now, can you two please go," Blaine couldn't look at either of the girls.

Santana huffed and slapped him on the arm, "You know what? I don't know why you're being like this but whatever. You don't want to make a bunch of little kids happy, then that's on you."

The slamming of the door sounded around the entire room. Blaine sighed and slumped back down onto the pillows. He hadn't thought about singing since the attacks started. How could he? Singing was always a way for him to express his feelings first and foremost – to rationalize and make everything okay for himself. Sure, he loved performing for an audience and hearing their cheers, but he did it for himself. How could he sing knowing that at the end of the song he wouldn't feel any better? Knowing that a Katy Perry song couldn't make it alright or that a Maroon 5 song wouldn't turn back time to a day when he was sitting at Dalton with Kurt – how could he belt a tune when nothing would change?

Blaine closed his eyes, trying to force the numbness that had taken over his emotions to fill his mind too. Every time he felt even the tiniest bit of sleep wash over him, he'd see the Maligs or Kurt in his mind's eye.

Just as the first cusps of sleep griped him, the door creaked open followed by a knock.

"Go away Santana," Blaine murmured, shutting his eyes tighter and willing himself to fall into oblivion.

A few heavy footsteps walked into the room. "It's not Santana."

Snapping his eyes open, Blaine sat up and spotted David, "What are you doing here?"

"Commander sent Drew to relieve me of perimeter duty," David explained.

"David, what do you want?" Blaine rubbed his eyes, not in the mood to deal with the other man.

David shrugged, "I just want to talk to you."

"We have nothing to say to each other," Blaine threw the blankets off himself and stood up, feeling less vulnerable that way.

"Blaine," David started, inching forward, "Please, just…just hear me out."

The shorter man nodded, "Fine. Speak."

"Can we, uh, can we sit down?" David shuffled from one foot to the other.

"David," Blaine ran a hand through his unruly hair, "Just say what you need to say. I'm tired and I just want to sleep."

David nodded, "Okay. I just..." He paused trying to collect his thoughts, "You said we were never friends. I thought a lot about that and I think…I think you were right."

To that Blaine raised an eyebrow in a way, that in the back of his mind, he knew Kurt would be proud of.

"I think we were so much more than friends," David finished quickly.

"What do you mean?"

David took a deep breath, "I mean that we depended on each other for every-freaking-thing. We needed each other. And no matter what you say, I know you needed me just as much as I need you."

"Need me?" Blaine asked tentatively.

"Needed you," David corrected as quickly as Blaine's question came.

Blaine shook his head, "No, you said need. You said you need me."

"I...I…" The taller man stuttered.

Finally, realization dawned on Blaine as he looked over at the man in front of him. He was no longer the oblivious 17 year old he once was. Being forced into this new reality had changed him.

"You know…you know I don't love you, right?" Blaine's voice was full of sympathy.

"Love?" David looked up, "Who the hell said anything about love?"

Blaine nodded, "Okay, but you do know that I love Kurt. That's something that will never change. I'm in love with Kurt."

"I know!" David didn't mean to say it with the aggression he did, "I know you do. Shit, man I just like getting off, okay? You and I, we're like…like each others glorified fuck toys. That's it. You were just a warm body," he spat.

"Right," Blaine whispered, "Okay." He watched David revert back into the McKinley High bully. The boy that was terrified of the word gay and even more afraid of what it meant to want to be with another guy.

"Love between men is disgusting. Men can't love other men," David ranted as he barreled out of the room.

As he watched David go, Blaine knew he didn't want to become like that. He didn't want to become that numb and angry that he put up walls to protect the emptiness he was feeling.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt wrapped one of the jackets they had pillaged from the abandoned town home tighter around Brittany as they walked. The snow had come fast and ended quickly, but it left a good few inches on the ground. They were lucky that the weather up until then had been pretty mild the more into the south they got.

"You guys want to try that rest stop and see if we can camp out there or keep walking?" Burt called quietly to the group.

Finn rested his rifle over his shoulder and rubbed his hands together, "How far is the next town?"

"I saw a sign for Eaton a couple miles back. Shouldn't be too much farther. We might be able to reach it before night fall," Burt looked at the teens.

"I say we go to the town. People probably cleaned out the rest stop months ago," Mike reasoned.

Kurt nodded in agreement, gun in one hand, his other around Brittany, "We need to get her somewhere warm."

"Okay," Burt nodded, "Let's get going. We need to get the freaking lead out if we want to be there by night."

As they walked, Kurt made sure he was alert to any sounds coming from the trees or the highway. There were a few curves they had encountered were they had to brave the openness of the road and had no shelter for protection from those _things'_ sight. Although, he rationalized, they were fortunate that they didn't come into contact with any other people so far. When they first started the journey south, they encountered several groups of refugees who thought nothing of taking from or beating up a group of teens for scraps of food.

"I miss my car," Finn stated, breaking the quiet.

Mike chuckled, "Your car was a piece of shit."

"Yeah, but it worked," Finn shrugged, "I wonder if she's still in McKinley's parking lot."

"We'll never know," Mike replied sadly.

"What do you mean?" Brittany looked up with big eyes, "One day we'll go back, right Kurt?"

Kurt sighed and looked to the other boys for help and found none, "I…Britt there's a chance that we might…we might not be able to."

"We're going back. Once they go home, we'll get to go home. It'll be just like before. And we'll have glee club and cheerleading again," she stated with such confidence that Kurt wanted to believe her.

"I…I hope so," Kurt nodded. His head was filled with fantasies of the world going back to the way it was where he and Blaine would go off to New York together and everything would be great, but he knew that would never happen. They couldn't go home. They could never go home.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Rubbing his eyes, he tried to adjust to the brightness that filled the motel conference room. He knew that darkness had fallen outside and for a moment wondered what was going on. Then he remembered that Aaron, a former electrician, was going to try and figure out a way to make a few of the lights work with the aid of an old generator and some batteries they had collected along the way. He also noticed that the glass doors were covered and people were milling around, more relaxed then they had ever been since this whole thing started.

He timidly approached Santana, "I'm...I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"Yeah well," Santana toed the ground, "You were tired. You sleep?"

"Better than I have in a while," Blaine replied, "Look, I just…I want to help you guys with the kids. If I can still be a part of it, that is."

"Of course you can. We were going to sing to them before dinner was ready," Tina smiled, hugging him loosely, "Come on." She tugged him inside the room where the kids sat.

Santana walked to the front of the children, "Guys, remember when I said we'd have a surprise for you?" She waited until they nodded, "Well, back before any of this happened we were part of a glee club and got to sing. Would you like for us to sing to you?" She watched the kids nod again.

"Okay," Santana smiled.

Blaine took a step next to her, "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to sing something by myself."

"Sure," She patted his shoulder and took his gun from his hand.

Awkwardly, Blaine waved, "Uh hi. I'm going to sing you guys a song that I once sang to…to someone I love very much." He took a calming breath before he opened his mouth, "I walked along an empty land. I knew the pathway like the back of my hand. I felt the earth beneath my feet…"

He watched as the kids looked on in awe. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had awoken something that he thought had died when the attacks happened. Something that was now boiling over into a feeling of completeness and such strong emotions. When he first sang that song to Kurt he had done so out of love, but now the song held such a stronger meaning. It was probably the most honest and raw he'd ever sung and he reveled in it.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"We need to stop," Kurt looked over at his father who was breathing heavily.

Finn looked between Kurt and Burt, "We're not yet in Eaton and there's really nothing around."

"There's a motel down that exit," Mike pointed, "We could check it out."

"I say we keep going. Eaton's only a couple more miles south," Finn argued.

Kurt shook his head, "Finn, let's check it out. If it's safe, we'll stay for the night. If not, we can go to Eaton."

"Fine," Finn agreed, following Mike down the exit ramp.

The motel wasn't too far off the exit, not even a mile. It wasn't the best looking place, but Kurt hoped it was something. If worse came to worse, they could scavenge for blankets and food before making the rest of the trip to Eaton.

"Stop!" A hush voice whispered as they walked through the parking lot.

Kurt felt his blood run cold and pulled Brittany behind him and aimed his gun. He looked around and noticed that Finn, Mike and Burt had done the same thing.

"Don't move," the voice commanded. Two gunshots rang out and Kurt was just about to fire when the person who owned the voice stepped out of the trees.

"Sorry," the man apologized, "You had a Malig behind you. I think it's the only one."

"You get 'em Drew?" Another voice rang out.

"Yeah! Got it," the man, Drew, replied. "It was unarmed."

Kurt felt Burt and Mike surround him. "A Malig?" He asked.

"One of the creatures. We call them Maligs," Drew explained.

Burt held out his hands in a gesture of peace, "We're looking for a place to stay tonight."

"Can you help us?" Finn added.

"I reckon we probably can," Drew nodded, "You'll have to talk to the Lieutenant, but I'm sure we can help you. We need all the man power we can get. I'll take you inside.

"Lieutenant? You guys have ranks?" Finn asked as they walked the few feet towards the blacked out doors.

"Yeah. We need someone in charge, you know?" Drew shrugged and opened the door, "We got some refugees that showed up. Go get the Lieutenant," he asked another man at the entrance who nodded and took off.

"You guys got light?" Mike looked at the few lamps that were turned on in the lobby and some coming from a conference room off to the side.

Drew nodded, "And running water. It's cold, but it's water. You all can wait here," he pointed to some couches in the middle of the lobby.

As the five of them sat down, Kurt heard something coming from the small conference room.

"_This could be the end of everything. So why don't we go somewhere only we know. Somewhere only we know."_

His eyes grew big and his hands started to shake. It couldn't be. He had to be hearing things. It just couldn't be.

"Does that sound like –" Finn started only to be hit by Kurt.

"Shh," Kurt stood up on shaking legs.

A few minutes later Drew reappeared with another man in tow, "This is our Lieutenant B –"

"Blaine?" Kurt almost couldn't say the word, feeling like everything was spinning.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine finished the song and quickly tried to wipe his eyes as nonchalantly as possible.

"Blaine, we got some people who wandered in. Commander's getting some sleep, so I thought you could come out and talk to them," Drew pulled Blaine off to the side.

The young man sighed. He wasn't really in the mood to greet newcomers, especially after singing _that_ song.

"We got no one else to do it," Drew stated, "David decided to go back on perimeter duty."

Blaine scrubbed a hand over his face, "Fine." He followed the older man out into the dimly lit lobby.

"This is our Lieutenant B –" Blaine heard Drew introduce him and looked up. His breath caught in his throat and he blinked a couple times, convinced he was hallucinating.

"Blaine?" A familiar, melodic voice called out.

He stood frozen for a second. His legs felt like they had been replaced with jelly. "Kurt?"

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are awesome! :) Reviews always welcomed and appreciated!


	6. Book 1: Chapter 6

The brush was thick with snow and the bare trees tall all around them. It seemed like the most logical place to stop, especially since there weren't any buildings for shelter. They hadn't dared to start a fire and huddled close together, partially under a snow bank.

"We should get some sleep," Quinn looked at Rachel and Mercedes.

Mercedes shook her head, "I don't think I can sleep out here."

"We're going to have to try," Rachel whispered. Her trademark diva demeanor had been lost months prior.

"_They'r_e out there," Mercedes reminded them.

Quinn shook her head, "We haven't seen any in over a day."

They sat silently for a while, trying to listen to any sounds of crunching snow.

"Do you…do you guys still think the others are alive?" Rachel asked, pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame.

"I hope so," Quinn patted Rachel's arm. They had put aside their differences long ago. When the world was in shams, what was it worth to fight over petty things.

Mercedes scooted closer to the two girls, "Where do you guys think we are?"

"I saw a sign for Farragut earlier this morning. I think we're in Tennessee," Rachel shrugged.

"We were supposed to meet the others at the Kentucky border. Do you think we should head back?" Mercedes asked.

Quinn shook her head, "We were probably farther south than we thought. We should just keep going. The plan was to go to the CDC."

"Is that where you think they went?"

"I hope so. I don't know," Quinn answered Rachel.

The little group watched as snow lightly fell again.

"I miss homework," Mercedes stated.

"I miss hugging Finn," Rachel smiled, lost in thought.

"I miss Beth," Quinn admitted quietly, "Puck and I were just starting to get to know her. Shelby was even going to let the two of us take her to the zoo the weekend _it_ happened."

Neither Rachel nor Mercedes quite knew what to say.

"Let's sleep," Quinn closed her eyes and hugged her knees to her chest, blocking out the world.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Time seemed to suspend and then stop altogether. All the air felt like it had been sucked out of the room and muscles that so desperately needed the oxygen locked into place, refusing to move. Everyone and everything disappeared from any and all senses as the two boys tentatively made their way to each other.

"Kurt?" Blaine whispered, desperately wrapping his arms around the taller man.

"Blaine?" Kurt answered back just as frantic, "Blaine?"

"It's you! It's really you!" Blaine didn't even realize that he was crying until he looked up briefly from where he had buried his head in Kurt's shoulder and saw a wet mark.

Kurt wasn't fairing any better and had started to hiccup softly through his tears, "You're real. You're okay."

"I'm okay," Blaine surprised both of them by pulling Kurt into a deep kiss full of desperation, hope, love, anxiety and every emotion he had felt since the day he had last had any contact with the man in his arms. "You're okay?" He asked, breaking the kiss.

"I'm okay," Kurt laughed and sniffled, "Blaine."

"Kurt," Blaine chuckled too and couldn't help but place a couple more chaste kisses on Kurt's lips.

A throat clearing and cries of _Tina, Mike, Britt, Santana_ filled the room as the reunion continued.

"Blaine?" Drew asked.

Wiping his eyes with one hand, he wrapped his other around Kurt's waist, not wanting to break contact with his boyfriend for even a second. "Drew, can you show everyone where they can sleep? There should be plenty of rooms left for them upstairs."

"Uh…sure," Drew nodded motioning for the new arrivals to follow him. Tina clung to Mike's hand and Santana and Brittany were wrapped around one another as they walked up the small staircase.

Burt nodded to Blaine and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, "It's good to see you, kid."

"Th-thank you Mr. Hummel," Blaine nodded back.

"Kurt, you coming?" Burt turned to his son.

"No!" Blaine blurted before realizing what he was doing, "Kurt can share my room."

All three men looked stunned at Blaine's outburst, most of all Blaine who was flushing a shade of deep crimson. But he couldn't stand the thought of being separated from Kurt again, even if they were under the same roof. He had to have his boyfriend close to him.

Burt looked between the two for a brief second. The world they were living in wasn't the same one that Kurt and Blaine had met in. Besides, Burt knew the two had a _physical_ relationship with each other. It wasn't ideal to let his teenage son sleep in the same bed as his boyfriend, but then again Kurt had spent the past several months with a gun practically attached to his arm at all times.

"That's fine, Kurt," Burt murmured and turned to catch up with Drew and the rest of the group.

When the commotion had finally died down in the lobby, the two teens stood staring at each other. Both had wanted and dreamed of this moment, but now that it had really happened they didn't know what to say to one another. The air in the room seemed too thick, the atmosphere one of awkward silence.

"Do you…do you want me to show you my-our room?" Blaine murmured, releasing Kurt's waist and intertwining their hands.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay," Blaine smiled slightly, leading the way. His smile dropped when he looked across the room and saw David coming in from his watch outside. Blaine tried to read David's face, but the other man slipped on a mask of steel that Blaine couldn't figure out.

Instead, he let it go and concentrated on Kurt – his Kurt – who was back in his life again. Kurt was tangible, living, breathing and right beside him.

He sighed in relief that the room he was assigned wasn't too far off the lobby on the first floor. Gently, Blaine opened the door and allowed Kurt to go in first. The room itself was dark, the window having been boarded up. Blaine hurried and lit the few candles he had swiped from the hotel storage room and shut the door behind them.

"I…I don't know what to say," Kurt admitted, "I don't know why I'm so nervous."

Blaine nodded, "I am too. I just…God Kurt!" He pulled the boy back into his arms.

Just like in the lobby, they stood in the middle of the room holding onto each other as if they let go, the other would disappear.

"I never thought I'd get to do this again," Blaine whispered into Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt held on a little tighter. "I love you. I love you so much," he murmured.

"You're real," Blaine finally let go and took Kurt's face between his hands, "You're really real."

"I'm real," Kurt promised, the tears once again flowing down his cheeks.

Blaine let out a shaky breath and pulled Kurt into a bruising kiss. He needed to feel Kurt against him like he needed air. Blaine hadn't realized just how much he missed the other boys' warmth, his body, his scent until he actually had it again.

"You're okay? You're not hurt?" Kurt was the first to pull back and held Blaine at arm's length, looking him up and done.

"I'm not hurt. I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Kurt smiled, "We're together."

Blaine nodded grabbing Kurt's hand into his once more.

"You look different," Kurt used his free hand and brought it to Blaine's cheek, "You haven't shaved in a while."

"I had a razor for a while, but it got lost," Blaine shrugged, bringing his hand up and stroking Kurt's cheek, "You have."

"Not that I ever really needed to," Kurt laughed softly, "I found a box of unused razors at one of the houses we stayed in."

"Hmm," Blaine nuzzled Kurt's palm.

"Let me get rid of this and give you a haircut?" Kurt asked, moving his hand to run through Blaine's unruly hair.

"You have scissors?" Blaine asked in amusement.

Kurt nodded, "And shaving cream."

"You find those things necessities?" Blaine laughed.

"Hey, just because the world is crap right now, doesn't warrant not trying to put a little effort into appearance," Kurt chuckled, handing Blaine a candle. "Go into the bathroom. I'll be right there."

Blaine made a show of letting go of Kurt's hand and moving slowly into the bathroom. Taking a seat on the toilet lid, he waited. He felt like his head was swimming. Kurt. He had Kurt back in his life.

"That guy, Drew, said there was running water," Kurt remarked walking into the bathroom and placing an assortment of items down on the sink. He plucked a towel up from the vanity and wetted it.

"Yeah, we think they either forgot or didn't have time to shut off the water. It's cold, but it's water," Blaine felt his body relax as Kurt gently ran the damp wash cloth over his face followed by some shaving cream. "Is that peach?"

Kurt chuckled, "It's better than nothing. Now be quiet," he ordered as he lathered the cream around Blaine's cheeks and chin. As gently as he could, Kurt let the razor glide along Blaine's face, watching as the dark hair slid away with every stroke. It took a little while for all the hair to be removed in the candle light. Kurt did the best he could before setting down the razor. "Now it's time for your hair."

"Should I be scared?" Blaine rested his hand on Kurt's waist, craving some type of physical contact.

"Get up," Kurt ordered. He leaned over Blaine in the small bathroom and turned on the bathtub faucet.

Blaine stood up and kneeled onto the floor, angling his head underneath the cool stream.

"Nice," Kurt made an appreciative noise.

"See something you like?" Blaine's voice was muffled by the water.

The taller man laid a hand on the small of Blaine's back and trailed it upwards into the mess of thick hair on Blaine's head. For a brief moment he wondered if this was a normal reaction. They had just found each other and now Kurt was grooming his boyfriend. Yet, maybe this is what they both needed. Maybe they needed something normal.

"Okay, up," Kurt patted Blaine's shoulder and waited for him to stand up

"Yes sir," Blaine mock saluted, sitting back down on the toilet lid.

Kurt reached over, picking up a comb, "Which reminds me. Lieutenant?"

The darker haired man chuckled, "Yeah. They needed someone to help lead them. I guess they thought I was a good choice."

"You are," Kurt gently tugged Blaine's hair with the comb so it lay flat.

"I don't know," Blaine shrugged and heard Kurt pick up the scissors and start to cut.

"I do," Kurt nodded as pieces of Blaine's hair fluttered to the ground, "You are a leader. People look up to you whether you realize it or not. It's one of the reasons I love you so much."

Blaine smiled, "I love you too."

"Okay, now really old still or you're going to end up bald," Kurt laughed, bending to kiss his boyfriends cheek.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

It was weird to adjust to artificial light when it was so dark outside. He wasn't used to seeing working lamps instead of dull fire light and dim flashlights at night. It was a welcome change.

Blinking, he rubbed his eyes and stepped foot inside the lobby. Perimeter duty was both an adrenaline rush and hell at the same time. On one hand, the waiting was enough to drive someone insane. Every crackle, bang, scrap was enough to set every never ending off. But there was something about the natural high of standing there, gun at the ready.

"We got some newbies here," Drew commented as David closed the boarded up door behind him.

"Oh yeah?" David asked.

"Yeah," Drew nodded and pointed, "Them guys over there."

David turned around and spotted Mike Chang first. His eyes traveled across the group and came to settle on Blaine. The smaller man had his hand twined with that of…Kurt Hummel.

Blaine must have sensed David's eyes on him and he looked up to meet them. David was taken with a feeling that he couldn't really describe and had to look away. The past few months came crashing down on him and he had to fight the urge to vomit.

After everything they had been through – were still going through, he just couldn't believe it. David really thought that Kurt was dead somewhere. A part of him, might have even hoped that was true. And that was what scared him. Yeah, he liked hanging around Blaine. The other man was interesting and smart. There was just something about him that David liked being around. And yeah the sex they had (and it was sex no matter how much Blaine denied it – they had both came) was better than with any girl he had been with.

He sighed and walked into the back room that was connected to the kitchen where a cafeteria had been set up. Sitting down next to a girl about his age, he thought her name was Mandy, he smiled at her. She had been flirting with him for months and he figured what the hell. It was time to do something about it.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine rubbed his hand over his face and through his hair. It felt good and he felt a little more human than he had in months. Fighting those things and scavenging for anything to keep going and surviving another day could make a person forget who they were – what they had left behind.

"You look good," Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine from behind.

"Thanks to you," Blaine patted Kurt's hand and turned in his arms to face Kurt, "Are you hungry? We should go get some food."

Kurt shook his head, "I've missed you so much." He took the lead and smashed their lips together. Blaine responded enthusiastically, sliding his tongue across the threshold into the warm mouth attached to his.

"Wait," Kurt murmured pulling away and smiling at Blaine's whine. He quickly searched through his tattered messenger bag and produced a small bottle of lotion.

Blaine placed a small kiss on Kurt's lips. "You really do have everything," he murmured against kiss swollen lips.

Kurt shrugged, "I wanted something normal in my life. I suppose being able to moisturize reminded me that I was still here."

"You're here. I'm here," Blaine didn't know what else to say and wrapped his arms around Kurt, brining him in for another kiss.

They moved across the room as one and fell onto the bed. All thoughts of the outside world were forgotten as they allowed their need you now's and want you so fucking much take over. They finally allowed themselves the luxury of just being in the moment and not worry about what may happen or had happened. They just felt each other and focused on love and months of separation.

Both of them had wanted it to last forever, but it quickly got to be too much. With every touch, every caress, every kiss they plundered further and further into oblivion. White lights flashed behind Blaine's eyes and he closed them and just felt. It was more than sex, more than the joining of two bodies – it was a joining of souls. A solid promise that they were both still alive. That they had survived long enough to be there in that moment.

When it was over, Blaine wrapped himself around Kurt, keeping himself buried inside the boy underneath him as long as possible.

Kurt sighed in content, "We haven't had sex in over a year."

"Uh…yeah," Blaine froze only for half a second.

"I never realized how much I missed being with you," Kurt kissed Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine nodded, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kurt lifted his hand to cup Blaine's cheek, "And you missed being with me too, right?"

"More than you know."

Blaine frowned slightly when Kurt started to giggle.

"I don't know how you made it this long without it," Kurt smiled, "When we first started having sex you couldn't get enough."

"Maybe I just couldn't get enough of you," Blaine moved quickly, causing his cock to slip from Kurt, "We should go get some food."

Kurt looked up at his boyfriend in confusion.

"It's just…I haven't really eaten much these past few days. I think the last thing I had was a Twinkie yesterday afternoon," There was a tone of unease in his voice.

"O-okay," Kurt nodded getting up, "We should definitely get some food into you."

"Right," Blaine pulled on his discarded clothes, watching Kurt do the same.

Kurt smiled, he could really stop himself from doing it every time he looked to Blaine, and they once again grabbed hands with Kurt leading the way.

"You know I really, really love you. Don't you?" Blaine asked, almost as if he was afraid of the answer.

"Of course," Kurt said without a second thought, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Blaine forced a smile, "Yeah. I'm great."

"Blaine," Kurt started, stopping them in the small hallway, "I want you to know that I never gave up on you. I never gave up on us. I knew we'd see each other again."

"I didn't either," Blaine wasn't entirely lying, but there had been days where it had been hard to believe that he would ever get to have Kurt back in his life.

"Let's go," Kurt kissed Blaine on the cheek and lead them down to the lobby.

"In there," Blaine nodded in the direction of the cafeteria, and they walked hand in hand into the room.

They both grabbed a bowl from a table and were given some soup and some beans on another plate.

"It's hot," Blaine state in surprise.

"It is," Denise, one of the women who was in charge of food, smiled at him.

Blaine smiled back and followed Kurt to a table that was occupied by Burt and the remaining New Directions members. Mike and Tina were sitting in such a manner that Tina was slightly on Mike's lap and Brittany and Santana had their hands clasped on the table. Kurt scooted closer to Blaine as the other boy sat down so he was flush against Blaine's side.

"You look better, dude," Finn remarked looking over at Blaine.

"Thanks to Kurt," Blaine playfully bumped shoulders with his boyfriend.

Mike looked at Blaine, "So this is the Insurgence?"

"Yeah," Blaine looked around the room, "How did you know that's what we're called? Did Drew or the commander fill you in?"

"No," Mike shook his head, "We found a letter. Didn't Kurt tell you?'

Blaine shook his head.

"Mike found this a while ago," Kurt pulled out a crumbled paper from his pocket.

Immediately, Blaine recognized his handwriting, "You found that?"

"Yeah," Kurt whispered.

"He never gave up on you," Burt remarked watching his son turn his head in embarrassment.

Blaine swallowed trying to swallow down a sudden emotion overtaking him. He looked once more around the room and his eyes fell on David, who had his arm wrapped around of the girls.

Guilt.

That's what it was.

Complete and utter guilt.

He caught Santana's eyes on him and turned his attention back to Kurt. Everything else could wait.

"You're the only one I want," Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear, "You're it."

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you a million times for all the reviews! I'm so blown away by the growing response this story is getting :D It means so much to me! I hope you'll continue to review and comment! I'll try my hardest to respond to everyone within the next couple of days.

This will most likely be the last update of this story until next week. I'm going to be in NYC this weekend, seeing Telly in "Godspell." :) I'll let you all know how he does, although I'm positive he'll be amazing. (I'm sure all of you know, but Telly is Warbler Wes).

Also, in case you missed it - there's a visual guide that might help. anisalee(.)livejournal(.)com(/)28925(.)html

AND..._ In the Final Hours_ has a theme song! It's "Desperate" by David Archuetta. You can Youtube search for the song and hear it.

Lyrics:

Desperate, desperate  
>You're reaching out<br>And no one hears you cry  
>You're freaking out again<br>'Cause all your fears  
>Remind you another dream has come undone<br>You feel so small and lost like you're the only one  
>You wanna scream 'cause you're<br>Desperate

You want somebody, just anybody  
>To lay their hands on your soul tonight<br>You want a reason to keep believin'  
>That someday you're gonna see the light<p>

You're in the dark  
>There's no one left to call<br>And sleep's your only friend  
>but even sleep<br>Can't hide you from all those tears  
>And all the pain and all the days<br>You wasted pushin' them away  
>It's your life, it's time you face it<p>

You want somebody, just anybody  
>To lay their hands to your soul tonight<br>You want a reason to keep believin'  
>That someday you're gonna see the light<br>'Cause you're desperate; desperate  
>'Cause you're desperate; and now<p>

You know that things have gotta change  
>You can't go back you'll find your way<br>And day by day  
>You start to come alive<p>

You want somebody, just anybody  
>To bring some peace on your soul tonight<br>You want a reason to keep believin'  
>That someday you're gonna see the light<br>You want somebody, just anybody  
>To lay their hands on your soul tonight<br>You want a reason to keep believin'  
>That someday you're gonna see the light<br>'Cause you're desperate, desperate  
>'Cause you're desperate, tonight<br>Oh desperate, so desperate  
>Tonight, tonight<br>Desperate, desperate


	7. Book 1: Chapter 7

Something was tickling his nose.

That was his first thought.

Moving slightly, he realized there were two solid arms wrapped around him, a head on his chest and that tickling sensation was a mass of brown hair. It took a second to remember – then everything came flooding back and he smiled. Breathing in the scent, his arms wrapped tightly around the warm body half on top of him.

"Mmm," Kurt murmured opening his eyes and reaching up to gently tug a few hairs on Blaine's chest, "Morning."

Blaine nuzzled the top of Kurt's head with his nose, "Good morning."

"I think that's the best sleep I've had in a while," Kurt commented, letting his eyes drift close again.

"Me too," Blaine agreed enjoying the moment.

"Can we just stay like this?" Kurt wondered, tracing undistinguishable shapes onto his boyfriend's chest.

Catching the pale hand in his, Blaine brought it to his lips. "I wish, but I've got perimeter later and Commander will probably give you something to do."

"Commander?"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah, he's ex-Military. He knows strategy and battle."

"Okay. So, what's the plan here?" Kurt asked, "It seems like you guys would have some type of plan."

"We do. We're going to send a small group of men down to scope out the CDC. See if the rumors are true," Blaine explained.

Kurt nodded, "Do you believe the stuff about the CDC?"

"I hope it's true. We can't keep running like this. These people need to go somewhere safe. Somewhere they can be protected," Blaine sighed.

"And if there's nothing there?"

Blaine smoothed a hand down Kurt's back, "Then I don't know. We'll deal with it, I suppose."

Instead of replying, Kurt simply held onto his boyfriend.

They allowed themselves a little while longer to indulge in the warmth and comfort of just lying together in bed. Occasionally, they would kiss and caress each other under the covers, but nothing went beyond those small touches.

"I really do need to get up," Blaine resigned himself to leaving the bed, lightly pushing at Kurt.

Kurt sighed in dramatic exasperation, "Fine." A slow smile grazed his lips as he slowly got up, "We have a working shower."

"We do," Blaine chuckled, sliding out from under the covers.

Walking over, Kurt started to dig through his bag.

"Don't tell me you have a full shower caddy in there," Blaine laughed, his voice husky with sleep.

"No," Kurt turned back around holding a few items, "But I have this."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "Shampoo and a bar of soap."

"Shower gel and a half bar of soap," Kurt correct with a smile, "I told you, having this stuff made me feel normal."

Blaine walked over and drew Kurt into an embrace, "You're just… you amaze me Kurt Hummel."

"You're not so bad yourself, Blaine Anderson," Kurt chuckled stepping back and catching Blaine's hand into his. "Now, shower time."

"It's going to be cold," Blaine commented.

"I'm sure we can find a way to warm it up," Kurt winked and found himself being tugged by the hand towards the bathroom.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Umpfff," David groaned and rolled on his side. He felt someone move next to him and blinked. The events of the previous night flooded back into memory. "Fuck," he whispered.

"Thought we already did that," A small hand wrapped around his waist and soft skin cuddled up to his back.

David stiffened up, moved slightly out of her hold, "I need to go. I've, uh, I've got perimeter in a while. I should get some breakfast."

"You can have me as an appetizer," she tried to entice him, strategically moving the sheets so she lay bare in front of him.

"No," David shook his head, reaching for his clothes, "I need to go."

She gave her best pout and nodded, "You'll be back later?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure Mandy," David was frantic to get out of the room.

"It's Melanie," she corrected in slight exasperation.

David nodded, "Right. That's what I meant. Melanie," he quickly dressed and practically ran from the room. He didn't care that he had left her alone in his room. He didn't care that she might stay in there the entire day. The only thing he knew was he couldn't stand to be in that room. Sure, he had sex with several girls in the past, but this time was different. This time he felt sick. All he had wanted was to feel good and bury himself in the pleasure of having sex. He had wanted release. Yeah, he had come, but it was almost forced. It was the worst orgasm he'd had in months. It had been the worst sex he'd had in months. Her lips were too soft, her breasts too big. When he had wrapped his arms around her waist, there had been curves where he was expecting firmness. It was just all wrong.

Leaning against the wall, he took a few deep breaths, watching as different Insurgence members passed him with a curt nod.

"…off to be a big bad soldier."

A high pitched voice garnered his attention and David looked over just in time to see Kurt and Blaine coming out of Blaine's room. Their fingers tangled together.

Blaine's laugh filtered down the hallway, "While you rub me down when I come back sore and aching?"

"From head to toe and everything in betwe-David?" Kurt stopped abruptly.

David pushed himself off the wall, "Hey."

There was an awkward silence as no one really knew what to say.

"Umm," Blaine pulled his hand out of Kurt's grasp, only to wrap it around his waist, "David is part of the Insurgence."

"I can see that," Kurt stated, his eyes not leaving David's face.

He…he saved my life," Blaine admitted, hoping to clear the tension. Despite everything that had happened between the two of them, Blaine would remain grateful to David for saving his life all those months back.

Kurt nodded, his demeanor softening. "Oh," he acknowledged, "Thanks for helping Blaine."

"Yeah, well, whatever," David shrugged.

"So? Breakfast?" Kurt cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Blaine. Even though Karofsky had apologized before the attacks happened, didn't excuse him from everything he had done. Kurt understood the other man's fear and anxiety, but he wouldn't allow that to disqualify all the bad stuff.

"Yeah," Blaine nodded, reclaimed Kurt's hand in his and followed his boyfriend past David.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt sat down next to Finn at one of the tables lining the improvised cafeteria. One of the women had found a couple ingredients in the storage room, paired it with some of the flour the company had hoarded and created something similar to pancakes. To Burt, it tasted like heaven and Finn seemed to be thinking the same thing by the way he was softly moaning around a mouthful of food.

"Careful Frankenteen, don't hurt yourself," Santana snarked as she sat across from the two men, pulling Brittany onto her lap.

Finn rolled his eyes, shoveling more of the makeshift pancake into his mouth.

"Good morning," Tina sing-songed, leading Mike to the table.

"Hey," Kurt joined the group, tugging Blaine behind him.

"Everyone sleep okay?" Blaine asked, watching Tina, Mike and Kurt take a seat before he followed suit.

Heads nodded around the table.

"Good."

They all sat eating in comfortable quiet. There wasn't a feeling of utter safety yet, but it was the best they had felt.

"So, Blaine, what do we do today?" Finn asked.

"It's up to you. You'll meet our Commander and then you'll decide what you want to help with. We need some people for perimeter duty shifts. We also need people to help fix weapons and Stan needs help making bullets," Blaine shrugged, "Or you can help around here. Taking care of the kids and the small stuff around here."

Burt nodded, "I saw a couple old cars in the back. If we could get them inside the loading dock, I can take a look at them. See if they're fixable."

"That'd be great," Blaine replied, "We're going to try and send a group down to scope out the CDC. It'd be safer for them if they had a way to quickly get out of trouble."

"That's settled," Burt stood up, "Finn, you can help me get them inside. Kurt, when you're done you come over and help too."

"Sounds good," Finn got up and stood next to Burt.

"I'll ask a couple guys to help you when I go out for perimeter," Blaine promised.

"Britt can help us with the kids," Santana announced.

Looking around, Blaine was once again hit by all the familiar faces around the table. Faces he never thought he'd see again. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. It wasn't the fake air he put on for the company. This was real. He was beginning to feel real, true hope again.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Stand, watch, hold gun, stand, watch, hold gun. A simple repetition that was so vital to their survival. Always on guard, always double – triple – quadruple checking. One small mistake could cost everyone their lives. They had learned that the hard way more than once.

"Hey."

Blaine saw David side up to him out of the corner of his eye. "Hi," he whispered, emotionless.

Shuffling, a few loose rocks on the pavement crunch under David's shoe, "You got your wish."

"What do you mean?" Blaine didn't take his eyes off the horizon.

"Kurt's here. He's alive," David stated.

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. He is."

"So," David cleared his throat, "What does that mean…for us?"

"Us?" Confusion laced Blaine's voice, "David, there is no _us_."

David sighed, "So we're just going to pretend like we don't know each other."

"You know that it didn't mean anything," Blaine shifted.

"But it happened," David argued, "We…we slept together."

Blaine couldn't take it anymore and turned to face David, "No we didn't. Why do you keep saying that? And since when…you said it was disgusting yesterday!" He hissed.

"You're a fucking tease," David spat.

Taking a second, Blaine shook his head, "Why do you do that?"

"Huh?" David knew it wasn't the most intelligent retort in the world.

"Why do you do that? Why do you resort to being an asshole when things don't go your way?" Blaine questioned, trying to come off as non-threatening as possible.

David remained quiet.

"There's nothing between us. You know that I love Kurt. He's my everything. There's no one else for me, but him," Blaine explained, trying to make it as painless as possible.

David scoffed, "I know! Okay?"

"You were there for me when I was at a low point," Blaine nodded, "And you got me through. I'll always be grateful to you for that."

The bigger man was stuck, not able to speak.

"David, I'm sorry. We should have never…_I_ should have never let it happen. I have to find a way to deal with it, but it just…it's over now. It's never going to happen again," Blaine didn't want to see the hurt in David's eyes.

"I c-can't…I can't have this conversation," David backed away, "I need to…I…," he turned and hurried away.

Blaine sighed in defeat. It was all such a huge mess. He had needed David at a time when there was nothing left to hang onto. There was a time when David seemed to literally be the only thing that held him together and stopping the pieces from crumbling away. But he never ever envisioned it being anything more than comfort. That's all it was. A way to be the glue that held each other together. He had always made it clear that Kurt was his whole world. But somehow it all changed for David.

He shook his head. In his head he knew he had to tell Kurt all the things that had happened. He wanted to, but there was a part. A very small part that knew if Kurt found out there was a chance that their relationship would be over. He couldn't risk that happening. He just couldn't.

"Hey."

Closing his eyes briefly, Blaine turned to see Santana standing next to him. "I'm kind of busy," he muttered.

"Yeah, we'll I'm kind of PMS'ing right now," Santana shrugged.

"What?" Blaine sighed.

"Kurt and Karofsky," she started, "What are you going to do about it?"

"There's nothing to do."

Rolling her eyes, Santana slapped his arm, "You going to tell Hummel?"

"I don't know," Blaine turned his attention back to the land in front of him, "I haven't really had time to…he's back and that's all that matters."

"Yeah, but you've been getting it on with Dave for months." There was anger in her voice.

Blaine shook his head, "It wasn't like that. I told you this already."

"Look," she reached up and grasped his chin between her thumb and forefinger, "I'm all for getting your mack on without worrying about the consequences, but you and Hummel…you've got something."

"So you think I should tell him?" Blaine wanted to know.

Santana looked shocked, "Hells no! He'll dump your ass."

"But shouldn't I be honest?"

"No," she sighed, "I know they say honesty and all that crap, but Kurt's different. You heard what his dad said last night. You want to crush that?"

Blaine thought for a moment, "But I'm his boyfriend. I'm supposed to be honest with him. What if Brittany cheated on you? Or you cheated on her? Wouldn't you want her to tell you?"

"First of all, Britt and I aren't dating. She's my best friend. I love her, but I'm not in love with her. I thought I was at one point, but now she's like my sister," Santana explained, her attitude intact, "And second, it's not like you purposely cheated on Kurt. You thought you'd never see him again."

"I don't know. I guess maybe you're right," Blaine agreed, "I can't lose him."

Santana nodded, "Then just…just don't worry about it. It's done, right?"

"Yes. Of course," Blaine stated without hesitation.

"Then it's over," Santana reasoned.

Blaine cleared his throat and turned back to the task at hand. Maybe Santana was right. It all happened when he thought he and Kurt were over, so maybe it didn't count. He breathed in and resigned himself to just letting it go.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"So?" Tina chuckled, watching Kurt peered intently into the car engine.

"So what?" He reached in to fiddle with something.

Tina sighed dramatically in exasperation, "So you and Blaine spent last night together."

"Yeah, so did you and Mike," Kurt frowned, at the condition of an engine part.

"Did you two…have sex?" She whispered the last part, making sure Burt and Finn (who were scattered throughout the enclosed loading dock) were out of earshot.

Kurt's head whipped up, "Tina!"

"What?" She smiled, "Did you?"

"I'm not telling you that!" Kurt cried indigently.

Tina shrugged, "Mike and I did."

"Good for you," Kurt muttered, grabbing a towel that was next to Tina and wiping his hands.

"Oh come on," she pleaded, "Did you?"

"Fine, yes," his face steadily becoming hot under her scrutiny.

Tina tried to contain her squeal, "You two made love."

"So did you and Mike," Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah, but we weren't separated as long as you guys were. It's been, what? Over a year?" She asked.

Kurt shrugged, "Yeah, I think."

"What was it like?"

"What? I'm not telling you _that_!" Kurt stated in mock horror.

"Kurt," she whined, "Was it good?"

Kurt turned and buried his head in the engine, hoping that the hood would block his embarrassment.

"Oh come on," Tina laughed.

"I'll just say that Blaine and I had a good night," Kurt looked up, his face heating up.

Tina crossed the short distance between them and hugged him from behind, "Good."

"Yeah." Kurt cleared his throat, "I ran into David Karofsky this morning," he started, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh. Yeah, he's here," Tina stated.

Kurt nodded.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" She asked in concern.

"I guess," Kurt shrugged, "Before all of this, I think he was trying to change."

"But?"

Kurt sighed, "I don't know."

"Well, I do," Tina put her hand on Kurt's shoulder, "I think everything's going to be fine," she tried to comfort him.

"I hope so," Kurt turned back to the engine in front of him.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The perimeter around the motel backed up to a thick wooded area that was mostly dark, even with the natural sunlight. He stood, trying to see into the abyss to no avail. Things were so out of control. Everything just seemed to be so hard – so complicated. At times he wished that things would just stop for a second. Just for a second to let him think.

He looked over his shoulder and sighed. Blaine. He liked being around the other boy. In his entire life, he had never felt more comfortable with who he was when he was with Blaine. That was the most terrifying thing in the world. Not the world going to shit. Not the Maligs. But the way he felt with Blaine.

Over the past few months, he had gotten so used to Blaine just being there. Sleeping next to Blaine. Being with Blaine. He knew deep down inside that he was probably… like that, but that didn't make it any better.

When Kurt had encouraged him to come out at junior Prom, he had meant it when he said he couldn't. He couldn't even think the word in conjunction with his name. How could he say it out loud? That would make it real and making it real was petrifying.

But he knew that he hated the fact that Kurt was back. He hated the way Blaine was treating him and he hated the way he let it eat away at him.

Then there was Melanie. She was safe. She was nonthreatening. She was a _she_. She was normal. She meant a normal life. Was it really that bad of an idea to just go along with it? Maybe the thing with Blaine was just an experiment. Maybe.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt sat down heavily on the bed, towel drying his wet hair. It was amazing how fast the day went when he was keeping busy and not having to worry about those _things_ – Maligs. Working on the car next to Finn and Burt was almost like being back at the tire shop.

"Hey," Blaine smiled, walking into the room and setting his gun down on the desk..

"Hey," Kurt smiled back, "How was your day?"

Blaine shrugged, "Warbler practice went smoothly. I think we got our set list down for Regionals."

"I'm sure you'll be brilliant, but I hope you won't mind coming in second place to the New Directions, of course," Kurt shrugged.

"Yeah," Blaine sat down next to his boyfriend. "I wish Regionals was the only thing we had to worry about," he admitted softly.

Kurt nodded, "Me too."

"Kurt?" Blaine laced his fingers with the other boys, "Are you scared?"

"A lot of the time, yeah," Kurt nodded, "Not when I'm with you."

Blaine squeezed their hands, "I am too." He sniffled, "I've never said that out loud before."

"We've got each other," promised Kurt, "I'm not going anywhere."

"W-would you still love me if you found out I did something bad?" Blaine hesitated.

Kurt leaned over and kissed Blaine's cheek, "There's nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you."

"Promise?" Blaine looked up with such vulnerability that Kurt immediately wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter boy.

"I promise," Kurt laid his head on Blaine's shoulder, "I promise."

* * *

><p>AN: So here it is. I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews.

Okay, I've had about three hours of sleep, so in the next chapter I'll give a full recap of Telly/"Godspell." But just know he was really great!

And up just in time for the premiere of "The Walking Dead!"

There is a song I listen to when I think of Karofsky and when I'm writing him, so here it is in case you're interested: "Role of a Lifetime" from the musical _Bare_.

Everything's an act,  
>When you're pleasing everyone.<br>And he assumes that role  
>To such renown.<br>**He plays a perfect part,  
>Straight from his heart<br>Knowing the risk he takes  
>And hoping that the house<br>Is not brought down. **

The role of a lifetime, it's living a fantasy.  
>A drama that you struggle to erase.<br>Thoughts battle words over deeds  
>A war with such casualties.<br>All played out behind a smiling face.

**God I need your guidance  
>Tell me what it means<br>To live a life where nothings as it seems.  
>Spending days in silent fear,<br>And spending nights in lonely prayer. **  
>Hoping that one day when you wake,<br>Those feelings won't be there.

**So confused because I feel complete with him.  
>When we're alone it all somehow makes sense<br>Look into his eyes for some compromise  
>Remember the word, forget<br>And try to bury something so intense. **

**You learn to play the straight man,  
>Your lines become routine.<br>Never really saying what you mean. **  
>But I know the scene will change,<br>White picket fences, and a dog,  
>A trophy bride, and children.<br>God I know that's what he wants  
>But Jason what role do I play,<br>Am I a savior or a phase?  
>Am I here to damn you?<br>Or to help you navigate this maze.  
>Where confusion is a crime,<br>So you fill your life with sound,  
>And if you dance like hell,<br>You hope you never touch the ground.  
>What happens when the music stops?<br>In the silence will he stay?  
>One day he'll realize that these feelings<br>aren't going away,  
>So we drive ourselves insane,<br>Spinning circles in our souls,  
>As we dance around and play pretend.<br>And once again,  
>Reprise our roles.<p> 


	8. Book 1: Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you all so much for your wonderful support! Please keep up the reviews :)

* * *

><p>Yawning as he stretched, Blaine smiled to himself and rolled over. He wrapped his arms around a bed warm Kurt. It felt so good to go to sleep and wake up next to his boyfriend. They had fallen into an easy routine over the past couple of months. Blaine did his duties during the day while Kurt helped his father and Finn in the improvised garage area. They already had three cars up and running with four being worked on and three outside. It was a slow process trying to accumulate parts that could be worked into the engine in order to get it running. Gas was another factor, and Blaine had accompanied a couple other Insurgence guys out into surrounding towns trying to siphon whatever fuel they could find.<p>

Blaine nuzzled the back of Kurt's neck, and sighed in content. The David situation had been dropped for the time being and he was grateful for that. Really, he barely even saw David any more. The other boy had formed a relationship with Melanie and they had been living together in David's room down the hall. A part of Blaine felt terrible. He hated the fact that it was because of him that David had backed even further into the closet. Yet, he never promised the other boy anything. He never gave David any hope or implied they had a future as a couple.

"What are you thinking about?" Kurt mumbled, his voice thick with sleep making it sound deeper than normal. Blaine couldn't help that it turned him on.

"You. You're so warm," Blaine entangled his leg between Kurt's.

Kurt chuckled and scooted back so he was even more encased in Blaine's arms. It felt good and he let himself have these small indulgences with his boyfriend.

"Hmmm," Blaine hummed, his hands exploring Kurt's stomach.

They laid there for a few moments, letting sleep slowly fade from their bodies and morph into gentle awareness of the day. A few kisses and touches were exchanged until a loud shot could be hear outside, pulling them apart. They hadn't let themselves fall into complacency with their situation, but sometimes they could forget for a little while until they were once again reminded.

Not many Maligs had made their way to them. They had a handful or so wander through, but nothing like the mobilized group they had first encountered when the attacks first happened. So far, they had been pretty safe in that motel. CDC plans had been temporarily shelved until Burt could get more cars up and running. There was no sense in going unless they could guarantee some safety for Insurgence members.

"We should get up," Kurt muttered, already sliding out of their shared bed.

Blaine groaned and nodded, watching his boyfriend walk around and disappear into the bathroom. One of the civilians, Tom, used to be an electrician and rigged it so that the water was no longer freezing, but lukewarm. This place was certainly turning out to be more like home every day, and Blaine hoped they could start rebuilding their lives and civilization there.

He smiled as he looked over at the mirror hanging from the wall. There were a few drawings taped to it that the children had made for him. Some of the women, including Brittany and Tina, had made taken over educational duties for the kids and formed a small school in one of the larger rooms. Everyone seemed to be thriving now that they had found a place with beds, water and some working lights.

It was a luxury being there and Blaine sent out a small prayer for others who may not have been so lucky. With that thought, he picked up his gun off the dresser and checked to make sure it was loaded. It always was, but everyday he double checked just in case. He also picked up Kurt's gun and did the same thing. He noted there was a bullet missing and frowned.

"The five minute shower rule, although effective, sucks," Kurt whined, walking into the room with a towel wrapped around his slender hips.

"You say that every day," Blaine responded, setting Kurt's gun back down next to his own, "Hey, Kurt?"

"Hmm?" Kurt had discarded the towel onto the bed and was pulling on a pair of underwear.

Blaine worried his bottom lip for a second before answering. "Why is there a bullet missing from your gun?"

"What?" Kurt pulled on a pair of pants and one of the god-awful hotel shirts on. There was just no way to make it look good and he sighed. At least he'd be working on cars all day long. He mentally kicked himself for washing all his clothes the previous day. Clothes that were still drying in the room's small closet.

"There's a bullet missing from your gun," Blaine repeated.

"Oh. We needed something small to nail into a part of an engine. Dad thought a bullet might work if we worked it in just right. He was right. We got the engine to work," Kurt worked a comb through his damp hair.

"What?" Blaine asked in surprise, "You used a bullet to fix an engine."

Kurt shrugged, "Yeah. No big deal."

"No big deal? Kurt, you need all bullets to protect yourself. What if you get ambushed by Maligs and you are a bullet short!" Blaine freaked out.

"What is your problem? It's no big deal. It's just one bullet," Kurt looked up at his boyfriend.

Blaine frowned, "No big deal? Kurt bullets are meant for protection, not to fix an engine!" He didn't understand where this sudden panic was coming from.

"Okay," Kurt stood up, shoving his feet into his very scuffed up and worn boots, "I'm going to go get breakfast now." The taller boy stood up, reached around Blaine and grabbed his gun.

"Wait," Blaine closed his eyes and sighed, "Wait."

Kurt retracted his hand and watched Blaine intently, waiting for the other boy to say something.

"I'm sorry," Blaine opened his eyes.

"And?"

"And what?" Blaine shuffled from one foot to the other.

"What was all that about?" Kurt wanted to know.

Reaching out, Blaine rested his hand against Kurt's hip, "I just…I don't…I don't like it when I'm not there to…to protect you."

"Blaine," Kurt drew out his name, "You can't protect me. Not all the time. Just like I can't protect you."

"I don't like knowing you have to…use a gun," Blaine admitted, unable to look Kurt in the eyes any more.

Kurt sighed and used his index finger to draw Blaine's chin up, "I don't like knowing you go outside everyday where anything could happen. I don't like knowing that there's nothing between you and one of those _Maligs_ except the metal barrel of that gun. But Blaine, it's just what we have to deal with."

Blaine nodded, "I know. It's just sometimes…I've seen death, Kurt. You've seen death and…I just don't…I can't lose you."

"You won't," Kurt promised, "We're going to come out of this."

"Okay," Blaine tried to smile, "Breakfast?"

"Yeah," Kurt smiled back.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Santana stepped outside, some loose gravel crunching under her shoes. She held her rifle tightly in one hand, while she ran a hand through her ponytail with the other. Doing perimeter duty and becoming one of the Insurgence members was the most productive she had felt in her life. It validated her. For the first time she was fighting for something and not just fighting because she wanted to be a bitch. She was a part of something. She was one of the very few women Insurgence members and it gave her a sense of pride.

"David," she nodded, stepping next to him. After Blaine and David's combat partnership had ended abruptly, Santana had stepped up as his partner. Despite everything that had gone down in the past, she still cared for the former football player. She could relate to the fact that it was so fucking scary to admit to being gay.

"Hey," David didn't take his eyes off the land spread out in front of them.

Santana stepped up so she was flush against his side, "So, you and Melanie have become quite the little fuck buddies."

"What are you talking about?" David tried to remind himself not to stiffen as she rolled her eyes.

"You and Melanie. I know it's because little Davey is upset he lost his boy toy," Santana raised an eyebrow.

"What? Santana! Shhhh," he looked around, trying to see if the other Insurgence members on perimeter duty had heard, "He was not my boy toy."

"You're right," she deadpanned, "Your dumb ass went and fell in love with him."

David shook his head, "I did not. I don't love men."

"Look, I'm going to do you a huge favor," she sighed, "No one gives a crap if you're gay. Okay? It's alright to love another boy. It's alright to love many boys."

Looking like a deer caught in headlights, took a step away from her.

"I know what it's like. I was so afraid to admit that I was in love with Brittany for that brief period of time," she went on, "It's hard and all you want to do is scream, but it's okay. But you got to know that Blaine and Hummel are like…Ross and Rachel from _Friends_. They may have problems, but they fucking love each other more than anything."

David didn't know what to say.

"You have to give him up," Santana said softly, "You're never going to have Blaine. I know you want someone, but it's not him."

"Then who?" David sniffled, not sure why he was feeling so vulnerable, "There's no one."

Santana shrugged, "I – I don't know. I just know Blaine's not the answer. You're going to get hurt, Dave."

Shrugging, David quickly wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand. He really did miss Blaine; as hard as it was to admit. He had lulled himself into this idea of Blaine and himself all those months ago when there was no hope and they were just clinging to each other to get through the day. Yeah, they were as safe as they could be at the moment, but he missed those days when Blaine would curl up next to him and they'd just talk. It pissed him off that Kurt got that. Kurt got to be with Blaine. Kurt got to share the nights with Blaine. Hummel got everything while David pretended to actually like Melanie just so he'd have a warm body next to him. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The room was cramped with several Insurgence leaders. Blaine nodded to them as he walked by and stood next to the Commander. He tried to avoid eye contact with David, who stood near the door in the corner.

They had these meetings once a week to update on the status of the camp. Blaine found that he slightly enjoyed them. It reminded him of Warbler meetings where there was order and organization.

"Our scouts spotted two Maligs about five miles north. They don't seem to be taking any specified route. The scouts think that some of the Maligs have left their masses to look for food elsewhere," the Commander started. He was an older man who had made his career in the Army. "Be aware of this when you're out on perimeter and let the other members know.

Nods went around the room.

"Blaine you want to add anything before I go on?" The Commander turned to the teen.

"Umm, yeah," Blaine looked at the faces of the men before him. Some of them were old enough to be his grandfather. These men looked up to him and respected him and above else, he didn't want to let them down. "I just want to remind everyone to check their bullet counts every morning and make sure your weapon is completely loaded. If you're low, let Ray know so he can plan an ammo run. Also, do not fire your weapons unless you absolutely have to. We need to conserve."

The Commander nodded, "Which brings us to the next point. I want to send a team out to the CDC in the coming week. Burt in the garage has informed me that we have three running cars and by the end of the day, he believes we'll have five."

"And gas?" Another leader asked.

"We have enough to get there and back," the Commander explained, "Now, we're going to need several of you to lead the mission and round up volunteers from the remaining members. Unfortunately, we'll have no way to stay in contact with the mission, so once you're out there that's it."

"How many people do you need to go?" Another question from a leader.

The Commander thought for a second, "We can't send very many. I'd say ten at the most. I know it's not a lot, but I'll give you all the night to think about it and tomorrow we'll sort out who will go. Blaine, anything else?"

"No," Blaine shook his head, "I think that's all."

"Okay. Dismissed," the Commander nodded to the group.

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the men filed out. Sometimes the meetings could become very intense and heated quickly, but this actually went smoothly.

"Oh, Blaine. Stay a second," the Commander asked just as Blaine started to move from the room.

Turning around, Blaine nodded, "Yes sir?"

"I don't really know how to say this," the Commander looked down at a table next to him and took a deep breath, "You'd do anything to keep up the morale of this group, right?"

Blaine nodded again, "Of course."

"Good. I needed you to know that I've gotten some…comments about you and your…young man," the Commander stated apologetically, "About your affections with him causing discomfort."

Frowning, Blaine felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Discomfort? He gave so much to the men, the Insurgence and the civilians they protected. He couldn't believe it. He risked his life day in and day out and someone had a problem with his relationship? Someone had a problem with the fact that he and Kurt hugged and held hands. It flabbergasted him.

"What?"

The Commander sighed, "I don't give two shits that you're gay, but some members of the Insurgence…"

"Who?" Blaine demanded.

"You know I can't tell you that, Anderson."

Blaine huffed, "So someone has a problem that I hold my boyfriends hand? Well screw them. It's not like we're fucking in the middle of the cafeteria."

"Some people see it as the same thing," the Commander shrugged, "I'm sorry. I just needed you to know. During my days in the service, I've seen good men – good soldiers treated horribly because of their…_sexual__ orientations_."

"Who said it?" Blaine asked again, "I want to know so I can clear this up."

The Commander sat down on the edge of the table next to him, "It's highly unorthodox for me to tell you."

"Sir, no offense, but if I'm on perimeter duty with someone who doesn't like me and they have a gun…" Blaine tried to get his point across.

"This goes against everything I believe in," the Commander shook his head, "If you must talk to someone, you may want to start and end with Karofsky."

"David?" Blaine felt his forehead wrinkle in confusion.

The Commander nodded, "I thought it was strange. You and he were combat partners for a while, but you should talk to him."

"Okay," Blaine took a deep breath, leaving the room quickly.

He had barely made it into the lobby when he spotted David standing by himself. Anger coursed through his veins, but he tried to push it down. There was no use in getting all worked up.

"We need to talk," Blaine whispered to David, as he crossed to him, "Now."

David looked surprised and Blaine resisted the urge to punch him, "Huh?'

"My room. Now," Blaine didn't bother giving David a chance to answer as he breezed through the lobby and to down the hallway to his room. He knew Kurt was going to be in the garage for a few more hours, so the discussion wouldn't be disturbed.

David trailed slowly behind Blaine and stepped into the room occupied by Blaine and Kurt. Blaine shut the door behind them and took a few calming breaths.

"What the hell is your problem?" Blaine started, trying to keep his voice down. The last thing he needed was for the entire Insurgence leadership team to hear.

"My problem?" David asked, "You treat me like shit for the past several months and I have the problem?"

Blaine nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. How dare you go to the Commander and complain about Kurt and I? How dare you?"

"I…it's…" David stuttered. Blaine was right. He had gone to the Commander on a night a while back and vented about Blaine and Kurt. In fact he had almost forgotten about it.

"David, I'm so sorry I hurt you, okay? I didn't mean too," Blaine tried to remain in control. He didn't know when the control he had been able to perfect over his emotions had started to crumble. "But this…this isn't right."

"Blaine…I just…I need to go," David turned towards the door, only to be pulled back with more force than he thought Blaine was capable of.

"No," Blaine shook his head, "We're going to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about!"

Blaine shook his head in disagreement, "You need to accept yourself…Kurt and I…everything."

"What do you know?" David took a sneering step forward, "You tossed me away once Kurt came back! Did you ever think that maybe I needed you as a friend?"

"I…"

"No! You had Kurt back, so I needed to go, right? You're dirty little secret?" David exploded, "All you cared about was you got what you wanted! You didn't give a shit about me! I thought we had a connection! We protected each other! I held you when you fucking sobbed about Kurt! Well maybe I needed something too!"

Blaine looked down in shame, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" David chuckled, "You're sorry? You treated me like I was nothing!"

"Hey! What's going on in here?" Both boys were so wrapped up, that they didn't hear Kurt come in.

Blaine shook his head, "Nothing. David was just leaving. Right David?"

"No," David shook his head, "I think it's time Kurt knew."

"Knew what?" Kurt asked skeptically, "Someone tell me what's going on."

Blaine advanced to his boyfriend, "I'll tell you about it. I promise. Just…let's go somewhere private. Somewhere we can talk."

"We're talking now," Kurt raised an eyebrow, "Tell me."

"Yeah tell him," David goaded.

"Blaine?" There was a hint of fear in Kurt's voice.

"Tell him, Blaine!" David pleaded desperately.

Blaine shook his head. He felt like his entire body had been submerged in ice.

"Tell me what? What's going on?" Kurt demanded.

David took a step towards Blaine, "Tell him or I will."

"Why are you doing this?" Blaine snapped, "David, what are you trying to accomplish by doing this?"

"We slept together," David turned to Kurt, "We've been sleeping together."

Kurt didn't know how to react. He felt like the entire world fell out from under him, "Wh-what?"

"Yeah," David went on, "We've been having sex."

"No…no. Blaine it's not…it's not true," Kurt reached for his boyfriend with a trembling hand, "Blaine, tell me. Tell me it's not true."

"I…" Blaine opened his mouth but no other words would come. He felt frozen. Terrified.

"Y-you couldn't…you wouldn't. You wouldn't do that to me Blaine! Tell me you wouldn't do that to me!" Kurt bit back tears, but it was useless.

Shaking his head, Blaine moved in front of Kurt, speaking frantically. "It wasn't like that. It wasn't, Kurt. You have to believe me. It –"

"Then what was it like? Tell me! How could you do that to me? Why would you do that to me? I loved you! I thought you loved me!" Kurt was bordering hysterical, but he didn't care.

"I do love you!" Blaine swore vehemently, "I love you! I just…it was so bad for a while and things…I needed a way to deal. I –"

Kurt shook his head, "So you sleep with David Karofsky? The one person who made my life a living hell! He threatened to _kill_ me Blaine! Why him? Why did it have to be him?"

"It just happened. It meant nothing," Blaine begged, "I never thought I'd see you again!"

"So you get into bed with him?" Kurt furiously wiped his eyes, "Well, I hope it was worth it."

"Kurt…" Blaine reached out for his boyfriend's hand, "Kurt."

"How could you do that to us?" Kurt took in a shaky breath, trying to control his breathing and stop the tears from flowing, "I really…I just can't be around you right now."

Blaine shook his head and this grasped Kurt's arm, "Please…just let me explain. Let me make this better."

"You can't," Kurt yanked his arm back, "Just…I just need to be away from you." He couldn't look at Blaine as he hurried from the room, brushing past David as he went. All he knew was there was pain like he'd never felt before swirling in the pit of his stomach. The only thing he could think to do was run.

Kurt sniffled as he continued through the lobby and outside. He had no idea where he was going. He just knew he had to get out of there.

A gust of wind hit him just as he stepped onto the pavement. A few Insurgence members were scattered throughout with guns and he spotted Drew leading some civilians his way.

Quickly, he turned away and wiped his eyes roughly. Nothing made sense. Blaine loved him. Blaine wouldn't do that to him. Yet, he did. His boyfriend had been lying to him for months. His boyfriend had been fucking him for months and didn't think it was important to tell him that he had slept with someone else. Kurt had allowed his boyfriend to come inside his body and claim it as his own in the most intimate of ways and it was all a lie.

Kurt wanted to scream. Out of anyone, Blaine had to go and chose David. Kurt knew that David was sorry for what he did, but it didn't make it any better and Blaine knew that. But Blaine went and slept with the bigger man anyways. Kurt was supposed to be the only one who saw Blaine's face when he came. Kurt was supposed to be the only one to touch Blaine's body that way. Kurt was supposed to be the only one who got to be with Blaine like that.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. Blaine had insisted that he loved Kurt over and over again every day….but was it even real?

"Hey," Santana joined him. He sniffled. He hadn't realized she was on perimeter duty.

"Now's not…a good time… Santana," he took deep, shuttering breaths.

"What happened?"

Kurt looked up at her, his eyes red-rimmed and his pale cheeks were tear stained.

Santana sighed, "Fuck. You found out."

"Found out? You mean about Blaine and Karofsky? You knew?"

"Yes. I –"

Kurt shook his head, "You knew and you didn't tell me?" He couldn't handle her and walked away. It was too much. How many people knew? Did everyone know?

Shaking his head, he concentrated on getting the flow of tears to stop and watched as Drew's figure and the silhouette of the civilians with him drew closer. His eyes widened when he spotted who was coming towards the motel.

"Kurt?" Rachel's voice squealed followed by Quinn and Mercedes. Before he knew it, he was wrapped in the three girls' arms.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Mercedes was the first to ask when they finally broke apart.

Kurt sniffed a few times, "I just…I really need a girls night," he choked out.

"Well, I guess we got here just in time," Quinn looked on sympathetically and patted his shoulder.

"You girls need to debrief with the Lieutenant," Drew stated helplessly and watched as the three girls and Kurt huddled together and started towards the motel door.

"Let 'em go," Kurt heard Santana tell the other man and threw a look over his shoulder to her.

Taking the lead, Kurt brushed the tears off his face, "Come on, let's go find an empty room."

"It's going to be alright, baby," Mercedes promised.

"No, I don't think it is," Kurt replied, "But thanks for saying that."

* * *

><p>Visual Companion: anisalee(.)livejournal(.)com()28925(.)html

Godspell Recap: anisalee(.)livejournal(.)com(/)29532(.)html - found at the very bottom in A/N

Take out () before linking

PLEASE REVIEW! :)


	9. Book 1: Chapter 9

Time seemed to slow down but also move way too fast. It felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. It was too hot. It was too cold. Blaine couldn't comprehend what was happening. It was as if he was watching it happen to someone else.

"Wh-what did you do?" He was horrified, "David, what the hell did you do?"

The other man looked just as shocked as Blaine. Karofsky had opened his mouth to say something, maybe even defend his actions, but nothing came out. If the situation wasn't so bad, Blaine would have laughed at how much he looked like a fish.

"Why…what…why would you…why would you do that?" Blaine knew he was shaking, "I just… Kurt!" He pushed past David, "Kurt!" He continued to call out as he ran down the hall trying to find his boyfriend – former boyfriend – boyfriend – whatever they were. "Kurt! Kurt!"

It didn't take him long to spot the other man walking through the lobby with… Quinn, Rachel and Mercedes?

"Kurt!" He pushed past his surprise at seeing the girls, "Kurt!"

The taller boy turned to face Blaine and it was enough to stop him in his tracks. There was so much pain and hurt reflected in those eyes. Eyes that Blaine had spent many an hour gazing into that had been full of love, lust and happiness.

All Blaine wanted to do was take Kurt into his arms and promise that everything was going to be okay, but he couldn't. He had caused that look and there was no going back.

"Just…Blaine…just go," Kurt whispered, "Please? Just…I need…give me time."

Blaine shook his head. "No. Please talk to me," he begged, desperation evident in his voice.

"No," Kurt whispered, turning into Quinn.

"Let it go for tonight," Quinn wrapped an arm around Kurt.

"I –"

Mercedes stepped in between Kurt, Quinn and Blaine. "Blaine," she smiled sympathetically, giving Quinn and Kurt some time to leave the room. She wrapped her arms around Blaine in a tight hug because despite whatever she had walked in to, she was grateful to see him. It had been so long since she had seen anyone other than Quinn and Rachel that sometimes it felt like they'd never see anyone ever again.

"Tell Kurt I love him," _That__he__means__everything__to__me.__That__I__can__'__t__do__this__without__him._

"Yeah," she smiled, "I'm so glad you're okay."

Blaine nodded, "I'm glad you guys are okay too."

"I should go…" she trailed off, looking in the direction that the group went.

"Yeah," Blaine nodded again, "You go up through that doorway and up the stairs. I'm sure you'll find them."

"Right," Mercedes stood for a second longer before disappearing through the door leaving Blaine feeling defeated, helpless and lost.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"This room is empty," Kurt gently pushed open the door. It creaked as it opened to reveal two beds and a desk. "There's running water that's semi-warm. Just try to keep showers five minutes or less."

"You have running water?" Rachel asked in awe.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah. There are some hotel uniform shirts in the dresser if you want to change. A few of the women keep all the rooms stocked in case there are other refugees who wander in." Looking at the three in their state of exhaustion and fear, je realized for the first time he hadn't even asked about them. The girls had no doubt gone through hell getting to the motel and all he had focused on was Blaine. "How are you guys? Are you guys okay?" He questioned softly.

"It was hell getting here," Quinn admitted, "But we're here now and that guy, Drew, said it's safe here."

"It is. We haven't really had many Maligs come through," he wiped his eyes, riding them of unshed tears and crossed the room to sit on the bed, "Are you guys hungry? We can go down to the cafeteria and see if there's something you can snack on."

Rachel sat next to him, "I think we're okay. What's a Malig?"

"It stands for a malignant. Like a cancer. That's what the company calls them," Kurt explained.

"You guys really have things figured out here," Mercedes popped her head in the door before walking in.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah. We've been here for several months and everyone has really stepped up to help organize this place. So, tell me what happened to you guys?"

"We just kept traveling south along 75," Quinn explained, "We were going ahead with the plan to go to the CDC."

"We tried to stay as warm as possible by hiding beneath bushes and stuff. Whatever we could find," Rachel added.

Mercedes laid a hand on Kurt's knee, "We were going to keep going to Atlanta, but Quinn thought she saw a guy on a roof from the freeway. Next thing you know, we're here."

"I'm so glad you guys found us," Kurt bumped shoulders with Mercedes, "Tina, Santana, Brittany, Finn and my dad are here too."

"Finn?" Rachel smiled.

Kurt tried to smile back, "Yeah. He's in a room down the hall with my dad. Right now he's working in the garage."

"Your dad? A garage? You guys really do have it all," Quinn noted, "Now tell us, what happened before we got here."

Mercedes squeezed his knee, "Yeah, sweetie, what happened?"

Sighing, Kurt turned to Rachel, "I can take you to Finn, if you want."

"As much as I want to see him, I'm here for you right now," Rachel promised. Kurt believed that was probably one of the few times he'd seen her be truly selfless. "What happened?"

"I can't," Kurt shook his head, "I just can't…let me help you guys settle in."

The girls shared a worried look but nodded anyways.

Quinn took a breath, "Whatever you want."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine walked silently back to their – no _his_ – room. He felt eyes on his back with every step he took out of the lobby. How could so much go so wrong in such little time? He knew he should have told Kurt months ago. He should have told him the day they found each other, but he couldn't. He just couldn't and now it was too late. The one thing he never wanted to do was hurt Kurt. People say that high school love never lasts, but Blaine had envisioned them always being together.

What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to make it better? Kurt was the only thing that had made this whole shit world worthwhile. When he'd come in from perimeter duty or a scout outing, he'd know that Kurt would be there waiting for him. Kurt would wrap his arms around Blaine and everything would be okay again. In Kurt's arms there weren't Maligs, or guns or death…there was love and warmth. There was happiness. There was safety. Now what was left?

Sighing, he stepped into the room. Already it felt colder.

"What are you still doing here?" Blaine growled, seeing David sitting on the bed.

David looked up, "We need to talk."

"Talk?" Blaine was almost in hysterics, "Talk? You just fuck over my relationship and you want to talk? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry. I –"

"You're sorry? You're sorry?" Blaine shrieked.

David stood up, his large frame emanating vulnerability, "Blaine, he – he had to know."

"Not like that," the smaller man shook his head frantically, "Not like that."

"Would you have told him any other way? Would you have said one goddamn word?" David demanded.

Blaine huffed, "It wasn't your place. You had no right to interfere with my relationship!"

"We slept together," David caught Blaine's eyes, "We were sleeping together for months. You know that."

"We never slept together. I don't know why you keep saying that! We never slept together!" Blaine argued, "You were never…we never...it was never…never sex!"

David sighed, "We never fucked, but I made you come."

"So what? You were a closeted asshole who couldn't even admit to liking another guy, but all of a sudden you want to talk about _this_? You want to talk about making another guy come?" Blaine asked incredulously.

"Blaine," David started, "I –"

"I don't want to hear it! Just go! Get out!" Blaine crossed the room to the boarded up window and crossed his arms. He waited for the click of the door shutting. The wait wasn't long and after a few seconds he knew the other man had left.

"Fuck!" he picked up the closest thing, which happened to be a small bottle of Kurt's lotion, and threw it as hard as he could against the door. He watched in mild satisfaction mixed with horror as the bottle made contact with the metal and exploded from the force of the throw. White cream rained down onto the carpet and some was left in globs against the door.

He wanted to scream, wanted to run, but instead he picked up his gun and walked to the door, throwing it open. He marched with purpose down the hall, one destination in mind.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt smiled to himself as the roar of the engine he was working on filled the room. He didn't have a lot of materials and had to rely heavily on improvisation. That made four cars. He had been able to get four cars up and running with scrapes he had found lying around.

"Finn, we got another one," Burt called across the space.

"Awesome," Finn hollered back. He gave Tony a thumbs up and waited for the other man to hotwire the car and see if it'd start. That was the problem with most of these cars. Only one had a key, the rest had to be hotwired.

Wiping his brow, Burt signaled Aaron in the driver's seat of the care he was working on to cut the engine. He closed the space to Finn and watched Tony signal back that the car was ready.

"Shit," Finn muttered when the engine didn't come to life.

"That's not connected right," Burt pointed out and reached inside the engine to jostle a few of the pieces. A few seconds later the engine started.

"Yes!" Finn smiled as Burt patted his shoulder and signaled Aaron that it was okay to go ahead and disconnect the wires that started the engine. "Where's Kurt? I want him to see this," Finn laughed.

Burt frowned, "He went to his room a while ago to use the toilet. He should be back by now."

"You want me to go get him?" Finn picked up a discarded rag and wiped his hands.

"Go tell him that all the cars are running. I'll go tell the Commander we got them all working."

Finn set down the rag, acknowledging Burt's request and leaving the garage. Sometimes, if Finn tried hard enough, he could pretend he was back at Hummel Tires and Lube. If he really concentrated, he could talk himself into believing his mom was going to walk in the door and everything was going to be like it was before.

He missed the house in Lima, he missed football practice and glee club. He missed Kurt bringing him warm milk every night. Sure, he felt safe at this motel and he didn't mind sharing a room with Burt. It was just sometimes…sometimes he wished he was back in his old room doing homework.

Finn sighed as he stepped into the lobby where people were milling about. For a few seconds he watched a some men tinkering with a couple of radios and televisions they had found in the back room. They had been trying for months to get the radios up and running to try and send out a signal for other survivors to hear. The televisions were being used to salvage whatever parts they could. In a weird sort of way, this place had become home to Finn. Not home like back in Lima, but a new home. Even though he missed everything about his old life, this was his life now.

"Hey Drew, you see Kurt?" Finn asked the older man.

Drew nodded his head and shifted in his position next to the door, "He went up the stairs to show some newcomers where they could stay."

"Did he go back to his and Blaine's room?"

"No," Drew shook his head, "I think they had some kind of fight or something. It got pretty tense in here between the two of 'em."

Frowning, Finn shoved his hands into his pockets. That didn't sound like Blaine and Kurt at all. They were freaking _Blaine__and__Kurt_. They never really fought. In fact, Finn thought it was a little weird how well they got along _all_ the time. "Did Kurt go back to his room?" Finn wondered.

"Nah. Haven't seen him come back down at all," Drew shrugged.

"Thanks," Finn nodded to the man and changed directions, heading for the stairs.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The gravel crunched with intensity as he angrily stomped through the parking lot. His weapon was loaded and drawn in a combative manner. He had one destination in mind: the woods that lie just beyond the motel. He wanted to shoot. He wanted to kill. He wanted to take down any of those fucking Maligs that got in his way.

"Woah there Rambo," Santana noticed him, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Blaine?" Mike questioned approaching him from the other side.

Shrugging, Blaine tried to move past them.

"Hey man, you can't go out there like this," Mike stated, "You're going to get yourself killed."

"Don't fucking care," Blaine muttered as he tried to break past the two.

Santana grabbed his bicep and yanked as hard as she could, causing the man to stumble backwards. "I know what happened with Kurt, but don't be a moron."

"You have no right to talk to me! I took your goddamn advice and look where it got me!" Blaine accused her, fire in his eyes.

"What happened with Kurt?" Mike asked calmly. He stepped between Blaine and Santana, trying to create some sort of buffer.

Blaine shook his head. He just wanted to forget.

"Asshole over there slept with Karofsky," Santana spat in a whisper.

"What the hell gives you the right to tell people my business? Why don't you just shut the fuck up for once Santana and realize that not everything involves you! Sometimes you just need to stop being such a fucking bitch!" Blaine blew up.

Santana snarled, "Don't take it out on me. Just because you can't keep your dick in your pants is not my fault. "

"Guys!" Mike interjected, fearing it could get uglier than it already was, "What happened?" He turned to Blaine, effectively pushing Santana behind himself.

Blaine shrugged, "Some stuff went down and … God why is it anyways business?"

"It's not," Mike agreed, "I just don't want you going out there mad as hell with a loaded gun. It's almost night out, why don't you go back inside, eat some dinner and get some rest? Sleep it off."

"I'm not drunk," Blaine rolled his eyes.

"No, but going out there like this you might as well be," Santana grumbled, "The Asian is right. Go inside before you blow yourself up."

Blaine seemed to contemplate running when Santana stepped in and grabbed his gun. Mike nudged him back towards the door.

"You aren't getting this back until you've calmed down," Santana nodded towards his gun.

"Just go inside, Blaine," Mike ordered.

"Neither of you have any right to do this," he argued, "Fuck you!"

"Fuck you too. Now get inside," Santana handed Blaine's gun off to Mike.

Once out of earshot, the Asian boy turned towards Santana. "Blaine and Karofsky?"

"Long story," Santana waved him off, "Anderson was desperate, I guess."

"Sucks for everyone," Mike turned back towards the land, setting down Blaine's gun next to him.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Knocking softly on the metal door, Finn hoped he had the right room. He had followed the sound of chatter to the room right in front of him.

The door was opened tentatively and Finn stood rooted to his spot. There in front of him was Rachel.

"I'm hallucinating. I'm having a hallucinogen," he stated in disbelief.

"Hallucination," Rachel corrected weakly before throwing herself in his arms.

Finn held her as tight as he could, his tall frame almost collapsing into her. She held onto him with equal ferocity.

"Are you real?" Finn pulled back, only slightly.

Rachel nodded, tears threatening to fall. "Yes," she laughed.

"How?" Finn looked up to have his eyes met by Mercedes, Quinn and Kurt.

"We just kept walking," Mercedes said quietly.

Finn didn't know what to do or say. A part of him wanted to take Rachel into an empty room and just sit with her and talk to her. Another part wanted to find out what the heck was going on with Kurt. He had so many questions.

"I'm alright," Rachel whispered, as if answering a yet to be asked question.

"Good," Finn smiled. "Kurt? We got all the cars working," he informed his brother, doing the one task he went up there to do.

Kurt nodded, "That's good."

"I, uh, talked to Drew. Something about Blaine," Finn looked around the room, suddenly overwhelmed.

"Oh," Kurt felt Mercedes lace their fingers together, squeezing them in support, "Yeah. That's…that's over now."

"What?"

"It's a long story," Kurt sighed, "Go. Be with Rachel."

Finn looked to Rachel who nodded.

"Are you sure?" Finn didn't know what to do.

"Yeah. I'm…I'll be…"

"He's in good hands," Quinn promised.

Hesitating for a second, Finn finally nodded, "O-okay."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine slowly walked back to his room. When he was inside, he sat down heavily on the bed. His anger had slowly dissipated only to be replaced by fear, depression and finally sadness.

Grabbing a pen and scrap of paper from the night table, he sighed.

_**It's been…god I don't even know how many days. It's been a while since I've done one of these. **_

**_Anyways, we made it to safety. We've been staying in this motel for the past several months. I think it's been five months, but then again time seems to be suspended when you don't have any sense of it._**

**_I found Kurt. _**

**_I lost Kurt._**

**_He wasn't taken from me. I did something. I did something unforgivable and now I'm facing the consequences. _**

**_I hope you are faring better than me. I hope that whoever reads this is living in a world where there aren't any Maligs or fear. I hope that whoever finds this is happy. _**

**_My name is Blaine Anderson. I am a lieutenant in the Ohio Insurgence. I was 18 years old when those things came to this earth. I was a student at a school called Dalton Academy for Boys. I was a singer in an acapella group called the Warblers. I come from a town called Westerville, Ohio. _**

**_If you're reading this and those things are still here, just know that there are other survivors out there. Know that there was a whole company of people – men, women and children – fighting to save the human race. _**

**_Take care of yourself,_**

**_Blaine Anderson_**

**_The Ohio Insurgence_**

* * *

><p>AN: So there were a lot of emotions and concerns with the last chapter. I was a bit overwhelmed by a lot of it. Some of it was good and some was a bit concerning.

I thought I'd address some of it here.

First – my style of writing can be different from other authors. I know a lot of authors will outline their story and go through numerous drafts, but I don't do that. Writing for me is more of an organic process where I let the story just come as it does. I know where the story is going and how it's going to end. However, everything else just kind of happens. When I write, do it from more of an emotional stand point than the approach of "oh these events have to happen." There are a lot of times when I'm writing and I'll go, "oh, so that's how this will tie the chapter together." So, I don't have drafts of chapters per se. I adjust certain things, but for the most part what you read is almost exactly what I wrote initially.

Second – I write the character dialogue the way I hear it. I use ellipsis in several different ways. I use them in the traditional sense, but I also use them to signify thought changes and pauses. I am a university graduate, so I realize that sometimes the grammar may not always be correct or perfect. However, I write the way I do because it's what I think is best for the story :)

Third – I understand that Karofsky is not a favorite character, but I've always viewed him as a very layered and complex person.

Fourth – I understand for different people "sleeping together" means different things. Some view it as penetrating sex, while others view it as any sort of sexual intimacy such as oral sex. I think this is also something that the characters are figuring out for themselves.

Fifth – I'm always open to questions and comments. I do apologize if you don't like the story, but there's nothing I can really do about that. It is what it is.

I'm always happy to discuss themes that come up in the story or anything else. Some people had questions about my meeting Telly Leung and I'm happy to answer what I can about that. Really, I'm not a scary person lol. All my replies come from a place of general interest or concern. I do reply to help explain and make your reading experience better. So anything you want to ask, go ahead.


	10. Book 1: Chapter 10

_June 2012 (the day of the first attack)_

"_Guys!" Mr. Schuester demanded, standing in front of the New Directions, "I know we've only got a few more days left in the school year, but I want to give you one last assignment. Those who are graduating will come up with a song summing up their time here at McKinley. Those of you who are coming back will come up with a song summing up what you learned this year."_

_Kurt sighed and finished his text to Blaine. There was really no song out there that would sum up his time at McKinley. What song really represented a gay kid who came out, was bullied, had his father almost die, left school because his life was threatened, found a boyfriend, came back to school and lost his virginity to said boyfriend. _

"_So take this hour to brainstorm with each other," Mr. Schuester flipped through his notes._

"_What are you and Blaine doing this weekend?" Mercedes turned to Kurt, ignoring Mr. Schuester's request, as was everyone else in the class._

_Kurt smiled, "He's taking me to the zoo up in Toledo." He chuckled._

"_Toledo? You and a zoo?" Mercedes chuckled._

"_I know," Kurt shrugged, "Blaine thinks it'll be romantic. Just us, tons of screaming kids and smelly animals."_

_Mercedes rolled her eyes playfully, "Oh come off it. You know you're excited to go." _

"_I suppose," Kurt sighed in mock dramatics._

"_Guys we're talking about the assignment not –" Mr. Schuester was interrupted by a loud bang coming from the hallway. Acting quickly, he shut both doors and turned off the lights ordering everyone to get down as close to the ground as possible. _

"_What's going on?" Finn whispered._

_Mr. Schuester shrugged, "I don't know. Just stay down."_

_The club sat in silence for a few minutes, not knowing what they were waiting for, but waiting nonetheless. Kurt felt Mercedes curl her hand around his and he could hear her uttering an almost silent prayer. _

_However, the silence didn't last as another blast rang through the hallway followed by screams and the screech of sneakers on tile. Coach Bieste appeared at the doorway much to everyone's surprise._

"_Get out now!" She screamed._

_Mr. Schuester looked at her in confusion._

"_Do you have cotton in your ears? You need to get out now!" She ordered._

_All chaos seemed to break free as explosions could be heard and students shrieking in terror past the choir room filtered through the air. _

Kurt awoke with a start. For a split second, he didn't know where he was. It was pitch black and he was flanked on one side by a warm body. His sleep muddled brain having a hard time returning to full consciousness.

"Blaine?" He whisper groaned reaching out to the body next to him.

The body rolled over to reveal a bleary eyed Quinn. "Not Blaine," she murmured.

Taking a few calming breaths, Kurt tried to get his bearings. He and Quinn were sharing a tiny double bed, while Mercedes snored gently in the one next to them.

"You okay?" Quinn sat up on her elbows and tried to see him through the darkness.

"Yeah. I think so," he let out a breath.

"Nightmare?"

Nodding, Kurt sighed, "I'm fine though."

"Want to talk about it?"

"What happened to the bitchy, uncaring Cheerios captain?" Kurt tried to laugh.

Shrugging, she slid her elbows down and allowed her head to fall back onto the pillow. "She realized that survival and friends are more important."

"Hmm," Kurt hummed. "Do you remember the day_it_ happened?"

"Yeah," he could feel her nod, "Every detail."

"Me too," Kurt quietly agreed.

Quinn shifted, "I wonder if they're still alive. My mom, Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury, Coach Bieste, Coach Sylvester…Beth," she admitted quietly. "Then there's Puck…Do you think we'll ever see them again?"

"I-I don't know."

"God has to have a plan for this," she murmured softly.

"You still believe in God? Even after all this?" There was nothing but genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I do," she stated. "It gives me hope that one day things will get better. That there's a reason for this."

Kurt sighed, "Is there a reason why Blaine would sleep with someone else?"

"I don't know. You need to talk to him about that."

"I don't know if I can," Kurt cleared his throat.

"It's been a few weeks," she reached out to touch his shoulder, "None of us know how long we've got."

"That's a morbid thought," Kurt snickered without humor.

Quinn sighed, "Besides, isn't the Insurgence getting ready to go to the CDC?"

"Blaine's not going on that," Kurt stated, "They need him here. Regardless of the asshole thing he did, he does care about these people. He'd stay and protect them."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine exhaled deeply as he walked in from the darkness. Rubbing his eyes, he nodded to Drew at the door. He had switched from day perimeter duty to night duty. It was easier to sleep during the day when he could pretend that Kurt was going to come back. If he was out at night, he didn't have to lay by himself in a cold bed.

"Commander wants to see you," Drew relayed. "He went to the garage to help stock the car."

"Okay," Blaine yawned, hoisting his gun over his shoulder. "You doing alright Drew?"

The older man shrugged, "I guess. How 'bout yourself? You an' your Kurt still having problems?"

"Yeah," Blaine sighed, "But it's okay. When I'm done with Commander, I'll come take over and you can get something to eat."

"Nah, I'm good," Drew waved him off.

"Well, let me know if you change your mind," Blaine clapped him on the back and headed towards the garage. He was glad it was still late, or was it early? It was still dark outside, but there was a tinge of light coming from beyond the trees.

Anyways, he knew Burt and Finn wouldn't be up yet, not that there was really anything left for them to do in the garage. Yet, the two and Kurt got up every morning and tinkered around the space. He supposed it made them feel useful to the group. He knew Finn had asked the Commander to let him join the Insurgence and it had been agreed upon that when the scouting group left for the CDC, Finn would take on perimeter duty.

Blaine had tried his best to avoid both Finn and Burt. He didn't know how much they knew regarding the situation with Kurt, but it felt like the best way to handle their time in such a small confined space. In fact, he had managed to duck almost everyone from his former life – including David – by becoming as elusive as possible. When everyone was up during the day, he'd shut himself in his room. The only one he really spoke to was Santana and that was only because she had forced it. He'd occasionally see Mike at a perimeter duty shift change, but even then just a nod of the head was exchanged between them.

At first, Blaine had tried to get Kurt to talk to him, but the taller boy had used the girls as a buffer. He had begged Kurt, explaining that they had to discuss it. He wanted Kurt to remember that they loved each other; that they once had a life together.

"Anderson," the Commander startled Blaine, "Come over here. We've got some things we need to talk about."

Blaine nodded and walked over to where the Commander and Allan Ryans, another leader of the Insurgence, were standing.

"Ryans here has informed me that Lesky has fallen ill and won't be able to go out on the CDC mission," the Commander informed him.

"So, what are you going to do?" Blaine asked.

Allan shook his head, "I don't think I can handle the responsibility of seven men, Anderson. This could be a suicide mission for all we know."

"I thought Karofsky was going on the mission too." Just saying the name made him uncomfortable.

"He is," the Commander confirmed, "The plan was always to send out three Insurgence leaders and seven men – ten all together."

"Are you asking me to go?" Blaine asked quietly.

The Commander nodded through a sigh, "You're the best we can think of. You're smart and you're careful. They need that on the mission."

Blaine just stared blankly for a second. He was going on a few hours of sleep, had come from an all night shift and was not expecting this at all. "I haven't slept," Blaine said weakly. It was the only thing that came to his mind.

"You can get some sleep and Ryans will wake you up when they go. We'll have the group finish packing up the cars. We need you on this one Anderson. You're the best and it's for the good of the group," the Commander pleaded.

"I, uh…I…yeah," he nodded, "O-of course. For the good of the group."

The Commander patted his shoulder, "Good man. Go get some rest."

Still dazed at what just happened, Blaine turned around and started to head back to his room. A small voice inside of him screamed to go speak to Kurt and tell him. Yet, his exhaustion won out. He gave one long look towards the hallway with the staircase before sighing and trudging to his room.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The tattered knapsack lay half packed on the bed. There really wasn't much to put in it – a spare shirt, extra bullet clip and a few bottles of water. Of course, the mission would be taking food and water with them, but he wanted to have extra.

"I'm going to miss you," Melanie purred, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"Yeah," David shrugged her off. He didn't know why she stayed with him. They weren't even really in a relationship. Yeah, David would have sex with her, but just because she was there. It helped him keep his mind off everything else and it felt good. She was a warm body at night.

A part of him knew it was wrong. He was just stringing her along. There would never be anything more than sex between the two of them, at least on his part.

"I love you," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Faking a smile, David made a sound in acknowledgement of her words.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I don't know," David zipped up his bag, "Depends on what we find."

Melanie sighed, sitting on the bed, "We've been sleeping together for the past several months."

"Yeah."

"Well, don't you think it's time we took our relationship further?" She asked with a grin.

Frowning, David turned to her fully, "What do you mean?"

"I mean we're in love. We're living together. I – "

She was interrupted by a knock on the door that caused David to sigh in relief.

"Sorry to interrupt," a younger man poked his head around the door, "Commander wants us to help get the cars ready."

"Sure," David grabbed up his bag, grateful for the interruption.

"We need to talk," Melanie whined.

David nodded, "We will. As soon as I get back," he tried to pacify her although he had no intentions of having any discussions with her.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt followed Quinn and Mercedes down to the garage. The Commander had asked the entire company to come down for a brief meeting. Kurt tried not to flinch or allow his emotions to get the better of him when he saw Blaine from across the room.

"You okay?" Mercedes asked quietly as people filed into the room.

"Fine," Kurt tried to look anywhere but at Blaine.

They fell silent as the Commander made his way to the front of the group.

"I've called you all here to help send off a few brave Insurgence members. In a few moments, these men are going on a mission down to the CDC. Now, we don't know what they will find when they get there. All we can go by is the hope that the rumors are true and that military personnel will be waiting there with food, shelter and protection. I would like to first acknowledge Burt and his team for fixing these five cars and making them work for our team."

A round of applause echoed around the room.

"Next, I want to acknowledge the brave Insurgence members who will be leading the mission. We have Allan Ryans and David Karofsky."

Another round of applause.

The Commander held up his hands to quiet the group, "Unfortunately Stuart Lesky has fallen ill and will be unable to go on this mission. However, earlier this morning, I called a replacement in. A man who I know can handle this mission and is the best choice we have. He has stepped up and agreed to this huge undertaking. I am proud to say that Blaine Anderson will be taking over the mission."

As applause once again reverberated around the room, but a shock went through Kurt's body and he felt frozen. Blaine? Blaine wasn't supposed to go. Blaine was supposed to stay and protect the people.

"I want to thank everyone for their hard work and ask that you all support these men as they go out on this mission," the Commander finished.

Without consciously realizing it, Kurt's feet had carried him to stand in front of Blaine. Neither man said anything for a minute.

"You're going?" Kurt was the first to speak.

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. Commander asked me to."

"You… you could have said no."

"No, I couldn't," Blaine sighed, "They needed me."

"But what about me?" Kurt's eyes widened and he clamped his lips together, realizing what he had said.

"Wh-what?" Blaine didn't know if he had heard right.

Shaking his head Kurt took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Do you…need me?" Blaine questioned, terrified of the answer.

Kurt wanted to run away at that moment. He wished he was anywhere but there. This is exactly what he had been avoiding. He didn't want to be having this conversation because the truth was, he didn't know what he felt any more. Every time he looked at Blaine he felt hurt and betrayed, but he also felt love. So much love.

"I don't think I can do this right now."

Blaine ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know if we're going to have another chance."

"I know," Kurt agreed quietly, "I just…come back, okay?"

"I'm going to try," Blaine didn't care if it was wrong, but he grabbed Kurt's hand and squeezed.

Kurt shook his head, "No. You're going to come back."

"Kurt –"

"Blaine you're going to come back," Kurt stated with certainty.

"We could die, Kurt. This could be a suicide mission," Blaine's voice was hushed as he pulled Kurt away from the crowd.

Kurt shook his head.

"Blaine! We need to go!" Allan called.

Nodding at Allan, Blaine turned back to Kurt, "I love you. You have to know that. I only love you." He raised their still linked hands to his mouth and kissed the back of Kurt's hand.

Releasing Kurt, Blaine turned to go.

"Wait," Kurt pleaded, "I…I love you too."

With those four words, Blaine felt a smile spread across his face and hope surge through his veins, "You do?"

"I do, you asshole," Kurt allowed Blaine to gently kiss him, "You better come back."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

David threw his bag into one of the cars and waited for the rest of the mission to pile into their respective vehicles.

"Dave," Melaine approached much to David's dismay.

"Melanie?" David tried not to sound irritated.

She approached him cautiously, "I need to tell you something before you go."

"I told you, we'll talk when I get back."

"This can't wait," she took a deep breath, "David, I'm…I'm pregnant."

David blinked a few times, "You're…how…what?"

"Pregnant. You know Sharon who helps with the kids during the day? She was studying to be a doctor and…I've been late. Then I started vomiting. She thinks I'm pregnant," Melanie said, voice full of fear.

"I…I don't know what to say," David admitted. Out of everything, he never expected her to say those words.

"Say you'll come back," she smiled weakly, "You're going to be a dad."

"How long have you known?"

She cleared her throat, "I've suspected for the past month. I just…I wasn't sure."

"A baby?" David said in disbelief.

"Yeah," she reached for his hand, "It's okay?"

David exhaled deeply, "A baby…woah. Yeah," he tried to smile.

"Come back," she was genuinely surprised when he wrapped his arms around her.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine kissed Kurt once more. The past few weeks of loneliness took over as the kiss deepened. Neither boy wanted to let go.

"Blaine!" Allan called again.

Sighing, Blaine finally let go of Kurt and jogged over to the mission group.

Kurt watched as he into one of the waiting cars. The loading dock door opened with a high pitched whine and Kurt felt Quinn and Mercedes at his sides. His father, Rachel and Finn surrounded him in the back. Santana, Tina and Mike joined the group, each one watching the car pull out and disappear with Blaine inside.

Kurt didn't know what was going to happen in the future. What he did know was that regardless of anything, he loved Blaine. He needed Blaine to come back safely so that they could have a future, wherever it may lead.

* * *

><p>AN: Let me explain the chapter numbering. This is NOT the last chapter in Final Hours. The story will be divided into books. Right now I'm thinking there will be three. So this is the end of book one. There will be a book two coming soon. I've been going around for a while determining the best way to continue the story and this is the best way I can come up with to tell the story the best.

So, as always, please review, review, review! And if you're so inclined to rec, I'm not against that either! lol ;)


	11. Book 2: Chapter 1

**July 2012 (One month after the first attacks)**

It had pained him to shed the last of his old life. He had tried to hold on as long as he could, but the July heat was unbearable. Sighing, he looked longingly at his Dalton blazer that lay discarded on the grocery store shelf. He had shed his white button up, tie and gray pants a while ago when he had found a clothing store and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He had tried to keep the blazer, shoving it into a backpack he had picked up from an abandoned school bus - he tried not to think of who had previously owned the backpack. However, the need to carry around supplies and food became necessity and his blazer no longer fit inside.

Reaching out, Blaine ran a hand over the D embroidered pocket. Without thinking much he used both his hands to yank at the pocked, effectively ripping it off and shoving it into his jeans pocket. If he couldn't keep the blazer, he'd keep the emblem; if not to do anything but remind him of who he was – where he came from.

He said a silent goodbye as he headed down the aisle looking for nonperishable items. The store had obviously been hit by looters and only a few things remained on shelves. Rotted fruit, spoiled milk, and broken eggs were prominent. He managed to find a few cans of soup, a tin of meat and a jar of artichoke hearts that he shoved into his backpack. Wandering down more aisles, he spotted a bottle of soda and carbonated water. He sighed and shoved those into his pack as well.

Taking one last look around the store, he hoisted the backpack onto his shoulders. He wondered where he was going to go now that he had some supplies to tide him over. When the attacks had first happened he tried to go home, but he discovered that most of Westerville had been destroyed. The military hadn't even allowed him within five miles of his house, advising him to get on the military bus headed towards Cridersville, where more military personnel were setting up camp for civilians. Not really given a choice, Blaine had agreed and boarded the vehicle. However, about an hour into the ride, near Bellefontaine, there was another attack. The attack left the majority of the bus occupants dead, while the survivors all scattered off on their own, Blaine included.

He ended up walking along Route 33 and landing in Huntsville. He had tried using his cell phone to call anyone, but all service lines had gone down. So, Blaine had done the only thing he could think to do – survive and find Kurt. He had hoped that his parents were alive, wherever they were but he couldn't go back to Westerville. He had to keep going towards Cridersville.

Subsequent attacks had happened in the following weeks that left him looking for temporary salvation wherever he could find it. Food became scarce during that time, which caused him to have to loot whatever stores he could find.

Every morning he'd hope to wake up from a dream. Every night, he'd close his eyes and wish he'd wake up back in his own bed. Neither his wishes nor his hopes were ever fulfilled.

With one final look around the grocery store, Blaine pulled himself from his thoughts and turned to go. That's when he spotted it. One of those _things_ was standing in front of the smashed in store entrance. Blaine looked around for an escape to no avail. The nearest exit was way in the back and he knew he couldn't outrun one of them.

Blaine stood, glued to his spot. So this was how it was going to end? He was going to die alone in a grocery store. No one would ever know what happened to him. By the time anyone, if anyone, found his body he'd be unrecognizable.

However, his demise didn't come as he anticipated. Shots rang out through the space and he dared a glance. Filing into the store was a group of men with guns. They managed to take down the thing within a few moments. Blaine could only stand in shock as he watched.

"You okay?" A man ran up to him.

Blinking a few times, Blaine couldn't believe who he was seeing. "David Karofsky?"

"Yeah," David nodded, "Come on."

"David?" Blaine knew his legs were moving, but everything else seemed to be stuck.

"I think he's in shock!" Another voice yelled.

Blaine felt another set of arms grab him and he was guided outside and sat down on a curb. Everything seemed like it was slowing down and speeding up at the same time. He couldn't catch his breath. Nothing made sense. David Karofsky? The thing? Guns? What?

"It's okay. Take a few deep breaths son," an older man sat next to Blaine and rubbed his back gently, "that's right. You're okay."

"That thing is gone," another man promised, "take it easy kid."

Blaine looked up at the faces and tried to breathe deeply, only to have shallow breaths come out instead.

"What's your name?" the older man asked.

"B…B…Blaine," he choked out.

The older man nodded, "Blaine? I'm Joe."

"Name's Drew," the other man told him.

"How old are you Blaine?" Joe asked gently.

Blaine wheezed, "Eight…teen. I…I can't breathe!"

"Yes you can," Joe soothed, "Just calm yourself."

"Blaine, breathe," David demanded.

It took a few more minutes but Blaine finally calmed himself enough to be able to take in much needed air.

"You okay son?" Joe patted Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. What…what was that?"

"I think you had a panic attack," Joe replied, "Well, now that you seem to be calming down, let me properly introduce myself. Like I said, my name's Joe, but everyone calls me Commander because I'm the Commander of the Ohio Insurgence."

"The what?" Blaine was still catching his breath.

"Ohio Insurgence," Joe replied, "We're a group of refugees trying to survive this…whatever this is. I'll have Karofsky here fill you in on more of the details while we head back to tonight's base. We shouldn't stay out too long."

"Come on then," David held his hand out to Blaine.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

**Present Day**

Quinn pulled her hair back from her face as she wandered into the hotel lobby. This was the first place since the attacks that she actually felt safe and comfortable. Although there were issues and problems that came up between company members stuck together in a confined space, everyone seemed to be working for the same goal – to survive.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Quinn smiled, "How are you doing, Drew?"

Drew shrugged, "No complaints when there's a pretty girl in the room."

Chuckling, Quinn waved him off. She knew that the older man was harmless. He had told her about his granddaughter and how she reminded him of her.

She fell into silence and just allowed the life in the room consume her. Some of the children were quietly playing on the other side. Quinn could see Tina and Brittany running some sort of activity with another group of kids in the conference room.

"Ugh," Quinn watched as Melanie sat on the chair opposite of hers.

"Everything okay?"

Melanie shook her head, "I feel like I'm dying."

Quinn sighed, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with David Karofsky's girlfriend or whatever she was, "Why?" She forced out.

"You wouldn't understand," the girl groaned.

Biting back a remark, Quinn turned fully towards Melanie, "Try me."

"I have…morning sickness," Melanie leaned her head against the chair cushion.

"M-morning sickness? You're pregnant?" Quinn gasped in surprise.

Melanie looked up miserably, "Yeah. I can't stop throwing up."

"Are you sure you're just not sick?"

"See, I knew you wouldn't understand," Melanie sighed, "You're perfect. The biggest thing you've probably had to worry about is being late for your manicure appointment."

Quinn bit her lip and stood up. She moved to the empty seat next to Melanie.

"That was rude. I'm sorry. I'm just so tired and nauseous," the girl tried to smile.

"No, it's okay. I…I understand," Quinn fought with herself for a second before making a decision, "About three years ago, I had a daughter."

"You did?" Melanie was genuinely surprised, "What-what happened to her?"

Quinn swallowed thickly, "I gave her up for adoption."

"You gave your baby up?" One of Melanie's hands reached down to her nonexistent bump and cradled her stomach protectively, "Why?"

"I don't…I –" Quinn stuttered, not sure how much she wanted to divulge to a girl she didn't know that much about.

Melanie cleared her throat, "It's just I never thought I'd have a baby like this."

"I never thought I'd have a baby the way I did. I got pregnant by accident," Quinn explained, "I did what was right for me. At the time I knew I couldn't take care of a baby. I could barely take care of myself."

"I don't know if I can," Melanie admitted quietly, her eyes drifting to her hands.

"I don't think you have much of a choice," the former cheerleader said sympathetically.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt had been watching him for over an hour. Kurt had been sweeping the same spot on the floor. The boy wasn't doing much with the broom except pushing dirt from one side to another. There really wasn't much to be done in the garage since the mission had taking three out of the five working cars, but somehow they all seemed to come down here every day if not to do anything but wait.

"You doing okay?" Burt asked gruffly, approaching his son.

Kurt nodded, "Fine." His attention was distracted from everything going on around him.

"I think the floor's good," the older man grabbed the top of the broom, stilling Kurt's hands.

"What do you need me to do?" Kurt couldn't look his father in the eyes.

Sighing, Burt pulled the broom away from Kurt, "Talk to me."

"I'm fine," Kurt turned to go find something else to occupy his time.

"You're not fine," Burt reached out and grasped Kurt's shoulder, "This is about Blaine."

"It's not about Blaine," Kurt ground out.

Burt looked pointedly at his son, "Stuff hasn't been right between you two for a while. Now with him going off on this thing…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Kurt shook his head.

"Okay," Burt agreed, "Can your old man give you some advice?"

Kurt shrugged in acquiescence.

"The world's gone to shit," Burt started and smiled when his son let out a small laugh, "But you say you love Blaine and the kid loves you. In this world, love's hard to find. When you got it, hold on to it."

Nodding, Kurt gave his father a small smile that soon disappeared. "He's coming back," Kurt's voice was almost nonexistent.

"He's smart," Burt confirmed.

"I love him," Kurt went on, "I love him. He's a jerk, but I love him."

Burt nodded.

"If mom…if she would have done something…if she thought she was never going to see you again and she…you'd forgive her, right?" Kurt rambled.

Burt's forehead furrowed in confusion, "You're not making a whole lot of sense there kid."

"It's been a couple days," Kurt cleared his throat, "Do you think the rumors were right about the CDC?"

"I hope so," Burt shrugged, "Now what were you trying to ask me?"

Shaking his head, Kurt picked up a screw driver off the work table and started fiddling it.

"You've been sharing those girls' room and I haven't seen you as much talk to Blaine except for the day he left," Burt observed.

"Blaine…he," Kurt paused, "He may have…he had…_relations_ with someone else," he whispered the last part. "He thought he was never going to see me again."

"Oh," Burt stood absorbing the information.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah. Now you know what happened."

"And you and him have had…never mind. Don't answer that. Some things even a father doesn't want to know," Burt held up his hand, "That's a tough situation."

"And I get his reasoning. I just don't know," Kurt tossed the screw driver back onto the table.

Burt sighed as he watched his son struggle. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was going to be nineteen soon. Nineteen. He should be in college. He should be enjoying life. He should be meeting lots of new people, not fighting for survival. Kurt was only still a boy, no matter how fast the world forced him to take on grown up responsibilities.

"I think you two just need to sit down and talk it out," Burt suggested.

Kurt nodded, "Thanks dad."

"You're welcome," Burt clapped his son n the back, "I love you, kid."

"Love you too, dad."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The road was clear and they could see the CDC from the safety of an abandoned Emory University building. It had been decided that they wouldn't swarm the CDC as soon as they got into Atlanta, but wait and scope it out for a little while. They couldn't see much in detail, but were hoping for any sign of life.

"You want some food?" Allan Ryans asked, setting down a plate in front of Blaine. They had been able to utilize the university's cafeteria for their own benefit.

Blaine nodded, accepting the proffered meal.

"When do you want to head out? We've been sitting here for two days," Allan took a seat next to Blaine.

"We don't want any surprises. We need to wait for the right time," Blaine replied.

Allan nodded, "The guys are getting restless. David's doing all he can from keeping them from storming over there."

"We just need to be sure we're not going to be ambushed," Blaine took a bite of his food.

"We haven't seen signs of any Maligs there," Allan relayed.

"But we haven't seen signs of any people there either," Blaine countered, "Look, why don't we send a few scouts over there and –"

Allan shook his head, "We all go, or none of us do."

"Okay," Blaine conceded, "Why don't we aim for day after tomorrow. That way we have time to prepare."

Nodding, Allen took one long look through the window to the CDC, "What do you think is over there?"

"I hope something good," Blaine replied.

"Me too," Allan agreed, "How much longer do you think we can keep going at the motel?"

Blaine shrugged, "I don't know. The scouts have depleted a lot of the food from the surrounding stores. If the CDC doesn't pan out…I don't know."

"Well, let's hope it does," Allan smiled, "I'm going to go tell the men the plan. Get some rest, Blaine."

"You too," Blaine nodded. With a sigh, he stood up and walked to the couch in the middle of the room. He figured this building must have been a dorm for students. As he sat down, he couldn't help but think of what his college experience should have been like. He and Kurt would have shared a small apartment on the Lower East Side with Rachel. It would have been a two bedroom, one bathroom where Rachel and Kurt would fight over the bathroom every morning. When it was finally Blaine's turn to use the room, he'd have to shuffle through make-up and skin care products just to get to his toothbrush. They'd drink cheap coffee out of a coffee maker that was picked up a value store. On weekends, he and Kurt would treat themselves to Starbucks and walk around Central Park together or riding the subway lines. Blaine would probably stop for every street musician and throw some money into their case even though he would be strapped for cash himself. Then he and Kurt would occasionally try their luck at different Broadway show lotteries and then go out to get dinner at Junior's when they could swing it.

Blaine smiled at the fantasy and allowed himself to indulge in that life for a few minutes. Cold reality crept back in though. He and Kurt were most likely never going to have that New York dream. In fact, he and Kurt may not have a future at all. Blaine didn't know. All he knew was he was sitting on a cold sofa, in an abandoned dorm room waiting to take on the CDC. After it was all done, he was going back to that motel and he was going to do whatever it took to make things right with Kurt. No matter what.

* * *

><p>AN: So sorry for the delay! I've been extremely sick for over a week now, but I'm finally feeling almost normal. In celebration of last night's Glee and me feeling better, you get a new chapter! :) Yay!

Thank you to Judearaya for rec'ing this story in last week's Kurt_Blaine Friday rec post on LiveJournal!

As always recs, alerts, and reviews are always appreciated! :)


	12. Book 2: Chapter 2

**December 2012**

Sometimes in the midst of the chaos, it was hard to remember who exactly you were and where you came from. Minutes and hours turned into days and weeks. Days and weeks blended together to seem like suspended time.

The road never seemed to end. In fact during those times the only way to be reminded that humanity and life still existed was by doing something to feel passion - to feel human emotion other than fear and sadness. That's why moments like this were so important.

David sighed in contentment as he ran his fingers through dark, loose curls.

"Hmmm," the voice murmured, "Does this freak you out?"

"What?" David didn't want to disrupt the quiet that had settled over the room.

"This?" the head turned to reveal an exhausted but peaceful Blaine.

David shrugged. "I think what bothers me more is what's out there," he gestured to the wall separating them from the outside.

"Why do you suppose they came here?" Blaine yawned and reached over picking up his discarded t-shirt.

"In the movies, isn't it always to take over the Earth?" David remarked.

Blaine shrugged and pulled on his shirt. David watched as the muscles in Blaine's back moved in conjunction with his body to secure the garment.

"Do you think they even know what they're doing to us?"

"I think they know exactly what they're doing to us," Blaine agreed, "They started blowing shit up as soon as they touched down." He pulled on his boxer shorts and crawled so he was sitting next to David, underneath a tattered blanked and on top of a thin sheet covering the cold, tiled floor. The company had stopped for the night in an old movie theatre. The Commander had made it clear that everyone was to stay in the lobby area and not wander into one of the auditoriums. They needed to keep everyone within shouting distance of each other.

Blaine and David had found a darkened corner away from the group. They used a dusty, fake potted plant as a barrier and pulled themselves as far away as they could get as they waited until heavy breathing and light snores created a soundtrack in the room.

The two sat together, just breathing in and out. Neither one needed to speak; the mere warmth and presence of the other being enough.

All too soon the lull of the room was shattered by deep voices reverberating around the lobby and the sounds of guns being shifted in nervous hands.

Blaine and David shared a look before Blaine quickly moved a few feet away to another hastily made up sleep area.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

**Present Day**

The darkness was the worst. Not the silence or the abandoned buildings, but the darkness. When it was dark it was never known what was around the corner or what was coming up the road. It was okay when he was in the motel. He could deal with it then. Probably his handling of the dark was better at the motel because he was never alone. Melanie was always there and even though she was just a warm body to curl up to, she was still _there_.

"Hmm," David sighed, looking out of the window at the night sky. He sat in what was probably a student lounge, as the men had taken to different dorm rooms throughout the hallway.

It was always a surprise to him when lights weren't glittering against the black backdrop in the sky. Sometimes he found himself praying to see anything. A hint of bright or a glint somewhere in the distance. He didn't want to raise his child in this type of world.

_His__child_.

It still hadn't sunk in completely that he was going to have a baby - a life that was going to be dependent on him for everything.

Then there was Melanie. He knew he didn't love her. He wasn't sure if he even liked her that much. Yet, the truth was they were going to be connected forever by this child. She was the mother of his baby. She was going to be in his life from now until…until the end of life - which very well could be sooner rather than later.

"Can't sleep?" A voice cut through the room.

David turned from the window and spotted Allan in the doorway, "Doing a watch."

"I just spoke to Blaine," Allan sat down next to David, "We're setting out in a couple days."

"Okay," David nodded, "I don't know how much longer the men can hold out here."

Allan sighed, "We shouldn't have waited."

Making a noncommittal sound, David shrugged.

"We wasted a lot of time here," Allan commented, "Blaine's a great leader, but sometimes his choices are…" He trailed off.

David shrugged again, "Blaine was just doing what he thought was right."

"I suppose," Allan turned his focus to the dark sky outside the window, "I'll tell you one thing Karofsky, men like us need to stick together."

"What's that supposed to mean?" David frowned.

"Nothing," Allan tried to smile, "It's late and I guess I'm tired. I'm going to head to bed."

David watched him leave and let go of Allan's comment. He needed to focus on his own life and what he was going to do when he got back to the motel.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Heavy footfalls echoed around the dim hallway. They were muffle, but they could be heard regardless.

Leaning his head against the wall, he lifted his hands from where they rested against the carpeting to his lap. The floor was dirty. It probably hadn't been cleaned even when the motel was up and running and he didn't even want to speculate on what sort of stuff was stuck to the walls.

He looked up, hoping the intruder wouldn't notice him and simply go about their business.

"Hey dude."

Groaning, Kurt looked up to see Finn's shadow coming towards him.

"What are you doing?"

"Just wanted a minute," Kurt replied, hoping that Finn would get the hint and go about his business.

Nodding, Finn closed the distance and sat down next to Kurt, "Why are you up here by yourself?"

Kurt resisted the urge to ask Finn what he thought _just__wanted__a__minute_ meant. "Just needed some time by myself."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess sometimes it can get pretty chaotic downstairs with everyone," Finn remarked, setting his gun down, "I just got off perimeter duty with Mike."

"Okay," Kurt took a deep breath.

Finn nodded, "Yeah. Did you know that he's planning on asking Tina to marry him? I mean, I guess they love each other so it's cool, you know?"

"Great," Kurt sighed.

"I just hope Rachel doesn't get any ideas. I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of thing. It's kind of weird to think about, but –"

Kurt cleared his throat, "Finn, I came up here for some quiet time. Alone."

"I guess we all need time for ourselves," Finn exhaled, "Do you miss him?"

"Who?" Kurt tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

"Blaine."

"Blaine's coming back," Kurt said, certainty in his voice.

Finn picked at the carpet beneath his fingers, "What if he doesn't?"

"He is," Kurt shot daggers at the taller man with his eyes.

"Okay, dude. He is." Finn held up his hand, "But what if he doesn't?"

Kurt shot Finn another glare, "Blaine is coming back."

"Yeah, but have you thought about –"

"Finn! He has to come back, alright?" Kurt snapped, turning his head to look in the opposite direction.

Finn sat silently for a few minutes before opening his mouth again. "What happened between you two? Rachel said something about you two having a big fight."

"Finn –" Kurt warned.

"You're my brother, I want to help you," Finn shifted his long legs.

Kurt sighed in defeat, turning to face Finn once again. "Rachel and her mouth," he grumbled. "Blaine did something when we were apart and…it's just really complicated right now."

"What did he do?" Finn pressed.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Kurt silently pleaded for Finn to drop the subject, but he should have known that it was Finn and he wouldn't just drop it.

"Come on dude. Don't they say like talking about things helps?"

"He…he apparently had relations with someone else," Kurt let his eyes drop to his lap.

Scrunching his face in confusion, Finn turned his entire body towards Kurt, "Relations? You mean like…sex?"

Kurt nodded, not bothering to look up.

"With who? As far as I know him and you are like the only gay dudes here," Finn was trying to work out possible partnerships in his head.

"Well, we're not," Kurt answered sarcastically. "Actually, statistics say that one in ten people are LGBT. We have more than twenty people here, so there's a really good chance that Blaine and I are not the only gay one's here." Even though he couldn't stand the thought of David Karofsky, he would never out him to anyone. That was David's decision. Everyone had a right to come out and admit who they were in their own time.

Finn shrugged, "Still, sorry. That sucks. I totally know how it feels to be cheated on."

"He didn't…I mean it's not the…it's a different situation Finn. He thought he was never going to see me again," Kurt stated, not really knowing if he were trying to explain it to Finn or work it out for himself.

"So what are you going to do?"

Kurt didn't answer right away. Instead, he hoisted himself from the ground and dusted his pants off.

"Kurt?"

"I don't know," Kurt replied softly, "I love him Finn."

Finn nodded, standing up as well, "I know, but…he was with another dude. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does!" Kurt didn't mean to blow up, "Why do you think I've been living in Quinn and Mercedes' room?"

"I'm not trying to fight with you," Finn said softly, "I hope things get better between you guys."

Exhaling, Kurt tried to smile up at Finn, "Me too."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

**July 2012 **

The door creaked as David pushed it open all the way. He had heard a sort of keening and sobbing sound coming from within the tiny closet. He was fearful that it might be one of the Maligs trapped inside. He held up his gun in anticipation. Yet, when the door opened and a small shred of light filtered into the dark, David spotted something he was not expecting. There inside was Blaine Anderson on the ground. The smaller boy was so caught up in anguish that he never realized David was there.

"Anderson?" David didn't know what else to say.

Blaine sniffled a couple of times, trying to calm himself down, and sat up. "D-David. D-did you need s-something?"

"Are you okay?" David internally kicked himself. Of course the other man wasn't okay.

"Y-yeah," Blaine tried to take a deep breath only to have a choked sob come out instead.

Shaking his head, David took a seat next to Blaine. "Today was rough."

"She…she shouldn't have died. That little girl was supposed to live," More tears slid down Blaine's cheeks.

David was at a loss for words.

"I was supposed to watch out for her. She needed me! She needed me and they killed her! They fucking killed her! Fucking Maligs killed her! She's dead! She's dead! She's dead!" The dam had burst and Blaine couldn't control the emotions pouring out of him. "She's dead, David! She's dead!"

It took David by surprise when he found himself with an armful of Blaine Anderson. He wasn't used to comforting anyone. His experience had always been to suck it up and move on with life. Emotions just got in the way. However, it seemed almost…right to comfort the other boy. David gradually wrapped his arms around the smaller man and let him sob into his shoulder.

"She's dead, she's dead, she's dead, he's dead, he's head, he's dead," Blaine whimpered, "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead."

The fact that Blaine was babbling _he_ instead of _she_ didn't escape David. He knew that Blaine and Kurt were dating. It really wasn't a secret around McKinley that Kurt Hummel had a boyfriend.

"It's, uh, it's going to be okay," David patted Blaine's back with awkward movements.

"He's dead," Blaine continued to cry, "I…I don't know if I can…I don't know…" He rambled.

David continued to try to comfort Blaine, his hand now stroking up and down Blaine's back.

"I just need…I…" Blaine looked up, his eyes begging David for something – anything – that would make the world okay again.

"I know," David agreed, "I think we, umm, we all feel like that." _Hopeless,__lost,__afraid._

"I miss him so much," Blaine untangled himself from David.

"I know," David repeated, looking at Blaine's dimly lit, tear stained and splotchy face.

The two stared at each other for a few more seconds. Before either of them realized what was happening, their faces were mere centimeters away from each other. They could feel the others breath gently caressing their faces.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Blaine took a shuddering breath.

"Me neither," David agreed. He rarely let himself indulge in his own passions and desires. Before _they_ came, he had only gone out with two men. One he met at Scandals in West Lima. They had gone to a restaurant an hour outside of Lima city lines and it had been disastrous. The second man was another teenager he met online. They had agreed to meet at a small diner in Westerville. It turned out the other boy just wanted sex and David hadn't been ready to go there with a man. He had barely been ready to even go out on a date with another man.

Suddenly, his and Blaine's lips met in hesitation.

"I love Kurt," Blaine pulled away in surprise, "I love him."

"I know you do," David nodded.

Their lips met again, this time a little more insistent. It wasn't making out, but it wasn't entirely chaste either.

"I'm so messed up," Blaine pulled away again, "I just…I need to feel something."

David tentatively tightened his hold on Blaine, "Yeah."

"I love Kurt. I really love him," Blaine repeated, "I just…"

"Right," David nodded, letting Blaine settle against him.

They sat on the cold floor, in the dim closet, both trying to make sense of a world that no longer represented anything they knew.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

**Present Day**

Blaine woke up with a start. Looking around, he realized that he had fallen asleep leaning against a window.

It was still dark out. The first signs of morning light hadn't even appeared yet, leading Blaine to believe that it was still the middle of the night.

Sighing, he stood up and stretched. His tired muscles protested as they were moved and jostled. When his head had cleared a bit, he left the room and ventured down the hall. He could hear snores coming from the various rooms he passed. The men needed to rest. They needed to be ready to face whatever was waiting for them.

His journey stopped when he came to the student lounge at the other end of the hallway. Peering in, he spotted David sitting in a chair by a window. He was just about to turn to leave, when part of the flooring underneath his feet squealed, grabbing David's attention.

Within in a few seconds, Blaine had a gun aimed at him. David was only a few feet away.

"It's me," Blaine whispered, holding up his hands. He cursed himself for his luck.

"Sorry," David replied gruffly, going back to his chair.

Blaine followed David into the room, "You alright?"

"Sure," David answered curtly.

"Did Allan tell you the plan?" Blaine started.

"Yup," David turned his attention to the window.

Shifting, Blaine cleared his throat. "I love Kurt."

"I know," David shot Blaine an incredulous look. As if he didn't already know that.

"I just…I love him David. I didn't want to hurt him," Blaine tried to explain. "He didn't deserve to find out like that."

"He needed to know."

Blaine crossed his arms, "I know. I just, I didn't know how to tell him."

"Yeah," David shifted in his seat.

"I love him," Blaine stated weakly, "I'm…you were…I'm just…I'm sorry."

David sat in surprise for a second before he answered. "Me too."

"Right," Blaine nodded, "Well, I should…should get some sleep."

"Me too," David stood up and moved across the room to one of the sofa's in the room.

"Goodnight David," Blaine turned and shuffled out of the room.

David sat down heavily on the sofa and looked at the spot where Blaine had just stood and sighed. "Goodnight Blaine."


	13. Book 2: Chapter 3

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Groaning, he rolled over reaching out a hand to try and find the object making the offending sound.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The hand kept searching before it was grasped and held tightly by smooth skin and fingers. At this new development, he cracked one eye open.

Shock filled him when he spotted who the fingers belonged to.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice came out in a gasp.

Smiling down at Kurt, Blaine sat down next to him. "Hey."

"Wha…" Kurt went to sit up when he noticed that Blaine's curls were perfectly slicked back. His skin was bright and he was wearing a black pea coat. There were straps around his shoulders that connected to a backpack.

"Shh," Blaine brought their still connected hands to his lips, "I didn't mean for the alarm to go off. I had to get up early to meet my group for history in the student union. You don't have to be up for another hour."

"Class? Student union?" Kurt frowned in confusion, sitting up all the way. "Blaine, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" It was Blaine's turn to frown. "Kurt, do you feel okay?"

Kurt pulled his hand out of Blaine's grasp, "You cheated on me with Karofsky! Where are the Maligs? What happened on the mission?"

"What the heck are you talking about? Cheat on you with Karofsky?" Blaine laughed. It wasn't out of amusement but out of sheer ridiculousness of the thought. "And what is a Malig? Is this some sort of club or something you want to join?"

"No. They came. They came and attacked and…where are we?"

Blaine lifted his hand to Kurt's forehead, "You don't feel warm," he stated. "Kurt, we're in New York. NYU. NYADA. Our apartment with Rachel. Any of this ringing any bells?

"That never happened!" Kurt insisted, "They came before we graduated. They…" Kurt sucked in a breath and looked around. They were inside a small room. He was lying, in what he assumed was, a double bed. There was a TV and a DVD player at the end of the bed. A picture of the two of them was on the night table to his left and his iPhone was being charged in front of it.

"It was all a dream?"

"What was all a dream?" Blaine asked.

"Everything," Kurt sat in awe, throwing his arms around his boyfriend, "It never happened?"

Blaine ran a hand through Kurt's pillow mused hair, "What never happened?"

"All of it. We're safe, Blaine. Safe," Kurt almost didn't believe it.

"There's just one thing," Blaine's hand stopped caressing Kurt's scalp.

"What?"

"Kurt?" Blaine asked.

Kurt frowned, "Blaine?"

"Kurt? Kurt? Kurt?" Blaine's voice was fading away. "Kurt? "

"Blaine? What's going on? Blaine?" Kurt began to panic as everything was starting to become one big blur. Blaine's voice was almost inaudible.

"Kurt? Kurt?"

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Kurt?"

Waking with a start, Kurt opened his eyes to a darkened room. There was a hint of sunlight peeking through the boarded up window. Finn was standing awkwardly next to him.

"Blaine?"

Finn shifted nervously, "Uh, no. It's me. Umm, me Finn. You know, your brother. Finn."

"Finn," Kurt would have laughed at his brother's awkwardness if it weren't for the confusion currently filling his head.

"I, umm, you fell asleep in the hallway and I didn't want to leave you there. So I, uh, I carried you in here. I didn't know which one was your bed, so I just put in you the first one. I was just coming to check on you. Like, I wasn't watching you sleep or anything creepy," the taller man babbled.

"Where am I?"

Finn shifted, "What do you mean?"

"Where's Blaine?" Kurt sat up fully and took in the room. He felt like his whole body had collapsed upon itself. "It was all a dream," he whispered.

"What was all a dream?" Finn cleared his throat.

Kurt shook his head and stood up, "Nothing. Never mind."

"I came to see if you wanted anything to eat. You missed breakfast and lunch, but dinner should be ready in a little bit."

"How long was I asleep?" Kurt rubbed his eyes.

"You fell asleep in the hall yesterday, so, a day. You needed the sleep, dude," Finn shrugged.

"That long? What about the work in the garage? Was there any word on the mission?" A sense of panic fell over Kurt.

Finn shook his head, "Everything's okay. We haven't heard anything about the mission. They haven't spotted any cars coming up the highway."

Kurt had opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by Quinn.

"Oh hey," she smiled warmly at the brothers, "I just came up here to grab a new shirt. The kids spilled the paint on me that some of the Insurgence men picked up for them when they were in town scavenging." She crossed the room and dug through one of the drawers, pulling out a clean hotel shirt.

Both boys turned around as she slipped off her soiled shirt and put on the new one.

"You can turn around," she stated as she picked up a rubber band from the dresser and pulled her hair back, "How you doing Kurt? You were sound asleep when Mercedes and I got back and you didn't wake up once during the night. I was worried about you."

Kurt gave her a small smile, "I'm doing okay. I guess I just needed the sleep."

"Good," she patted his shoulder, "Come downstairs. The kids are putting on a talent show. It'll take your mind off things."

"Let me take a shower and change," Kurt conceded at the hopeful look in Quinn's eyes.

"Great," she smiled and hugged him briefly.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The sound of guns being prepped and loud talking woke Blaine up. He had fallen asleep in one of the chairs, causing his neck to crane in an unnatural position. A soft moan escaped his lips as he lifted his head.

He yawned and stretched. He didn't regret coming on this mission per se. He would have preferred to stay at the motel. These men were fine on their own. They didn't really need him. The people at the motel did. The children did. Kurt needed him, or so he hoped, and he needed Kurt.

"Lieutenant Anderson?" A younger man, probably sixteen or seventeen, popped his head through the door frame.

"Blaine, please," Blaine corrected him.

"Umm…Blaine," the young man stepped into the room, "It's me, Aaron. Allan Ryans sent me to tell you that the men have decided that they want to leave for the CDC tonight."

Blaine frowned, "What? No. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

"Sir, he said he discussed it with the men and they want to leave tonight," Aaron took a nervous step backwards.

"Where is Ryans?" Blaine tried to stay calm.

"He's in his room, sir," Aaron almost didn't have time to move out of the way before Blaine barreled out of the room.

Blaine stormed down the hallway and allowed his anger to fester in the pit of his stomach. He tried to control himself, but when he reached Allan's door he couldn't hold it in. His fist pounded a few times. The door swung open to reveal Allan.

"Blaine?" Allan took a step back and gestured for the other man to enter. "Did you need something?"

"Cut the crap, Ryans," Blaine growled, "You gave the order that we're going to the CDC tonight?"

Allan held up his hand, "It wasn't just my decision. The men thought it best to go tonight instead of waiting for morning."

"You know that's a fucking terrible idea!" Blaine seethed, "If we go tonight we might as well just take guns to all our heads!"

"Blaine, you're not the only one who makes decisions around here. The men are part of this too. They deserve a say!" Allan argued.

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest, "You know that more Maligs come out at night than during the day. Most of them sleep during the day! We don't know what's waiting for us there. We need to go with the best strategy! We can't go to there at night without knowing exactly what the hell we're walking into!"

"I made this call because this is what the men want to do!" Allan stood his ground, "We're leaving tonight."

"Then we're all dead," Blaine hissed, "Did you tell them that?"

"Blaine," Allan started calmly, "You can't say things like that. You can't cause panic with the men. They need to focus on this mission, not worry about whether or not they could die. They already know that."

"If they knew than they would want to go when it's safest!" Blaine gestured wildly.

Allan sighed, "Anderson, don't make me detain you because of mutiny."

"Mutiny?" Blaine laughed, "I'm trying to protect these men. I'm trying to save their lives!"

"No, you're trying to threaten the integrity of this mission. You're trying to cause chaos. You need to respect that the men want to go tonight and you need to decide whether or not you're loyal to the Insurgence."

Blaine shook his head in anger, "You better know what you're doing," he warned.

"Oh, I do, Anderson," Allan turned his back to Blaine and picked up his rifle from the bed, signaling the conversation was over.

Sighing, Blaine left the room. He hoped things would go differently than he expected.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"You doing okay, dad?"

Kurt stepped into the garage area and watched his father tinker around for a few seconds.

"How are you doing?" Burt countered, "I looked in on you earlier and you were still asleep.

"I'm…getting there," Kurt shrugged.

Burt nodded, "Your mom was a big believer that everything works out the way it's supposed to."

"What about you?"

"I guess, in some way," Burt replied honestly.

Kurt sighed, "And Blaine and me?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Kurt. Either you and Blaine are going to work this out or you're not. It's really up to you guys," Burt tried to be as gentle as possible with his words.

"I love him," Kurt stated, "It's the one thing I do know. I'm just…" He sighed and took a deep breath. "Quinn, Tina, Mercedes and Rachel helped the kids put together a talent show. You want to come with me," he changed the subject.

Burt clapped his son on the shoulder, "Sure." He knew that Kurt needed time to figure things out for himself more than he needed someone to tell him what to do.

Wiping his hands on a towel, Burt followed Kurt out of the garage, through the lobby and to the room they had turned into a multipurpose area. The kids' parents were scattered and sat on the floor. Some Insurgence members leaned against the wall while some sat amongst the crowd. Everyone had their attention turned towards the front of the room. Kurt spotted Finn and Mike on the other side of the room. Together, he and his father joined the two men.

Rachel smiled as she stepped into the center of the makeshift stage area.

"Good evening everyone. Thank you for coming to our talent show. These kids have worked for the past couple of days putting together their acts for your enjoyment. We hope you enjoy it," she curtsied and the first children ran to center stage.

Some of the children put on skits, some sang and some danced. Kurt laughed and cheered for them along with the other adults. It was nice to see these children be carefree and have fun for a little while. They had to deal with so much in the world as it was.

After the last of the children had performed, Tina took to the stage. "To close the show, we put together a song for you," she winked at Kurt.

He smiled as he saw the children retake the stage with Rachel and Quinn in tow. It wasn't long before Tina opened her mouth and started to sing.

_I will be the one you say goodnight to.  
>I will be the one you say goodnight to.<em>

Let me first say that you're so charming.  
>Don't you think that you could use someone to charm?<br>I would sit back, I would laugh, I would laugh again.  
>And maybe you'd like someone to greet you at the door after a long, long day.<br>I'm here for you, if you let me.

I will be the one you say goodnight to.  
>I will be the one you say goodnight to.<p>

Quinn stepped up and motioned for everyone to stand and started to sing.

_Funny thing is I'm trying hard and it's unlike me to get so caught up in things.  
>But I won't quit, I won't quit 'til you smile at me.<br>And I just cry if you don't stop to say hello.  
>It hurts the longer this goes.<br>I'd cry for you, if you let me._

I will be the one you say goodnight to.  
>I will be the one you say goodnight to.<p>

Rachel, Mercedes and some of the children abandoned the stage and took to the audience. Kurt found himself being pulled to his feet by a little blonde girl with a bright smile who waved at Rachel. He couldn't help but smile, dance and clap along with her. However that didn't satisfy her and she got him to sing along with her.

_I__will__be__the__one__you__say__goodnight__to.  
>I<em>_will__be__the__one__you__say__goodnight__to._

When the clapping and singing finally died down, Kurt had felt better than he had in a long while.

"Thank you," he mouthed to Rachel, knowing she had sent the little girl to dance with him.

Rachel's only reply was a smile.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt felt lighter as he followed Quinn and Mercedes up to their room.

"That was fun," Mercedes commented as Quinn opened their door.

"It was," Kurt agreed. "I miss that."

Quinn pulled her hair out of her ponytail, "What? Singing?"

"Yeah. Glee club. It was always my favorite part of the day," Kurt sat down on his and Quinn's bed.

"Mine too," Mercedes nodded.

"I actually forgot about….everything," Kurt admitted.

"Good. That was the point. Just letting go and getting lost in the song," Quinn smiled, "We all needed it."

Kurt took a deep breath, "I…I want…I want to be with Blaine."

The girls were shocked for a few seconds before recovering.

"You do?" Mercedes asked sitting next to him.

Kurt shrugged, "We have a lot to work through, but I love him. I just…I don't know if we can be together."

"That's something the two of you are going to have to discuss when he gets back," Quinn sat down on a chair across from him.

"All I know is he has to come back," Kurt looked both girls in the eyes, "The bastard has to come back to me."

Mercedes and Quinn shared a smile.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The night air was cool around them as they packed up the cars. They had gathered as much supplies as they could in the dorms and stored them in the trunks of the cars to bring back to the motel.

"Glad to see where your loyalty lies," Allan brushed by Blaine, "We're all set to go."

Blaine sighed, "Ryans, I still think we should wait until morning."

"Well you don't get to decide this. Right Karofsky?" Allan waved David over.

"What's going on?" David asked tentatively as he joined the group.

Allan cleared his throat, "Anderson wants to wait until morning. The men want to go tonight, so we go tonight."

"The men want to go tonight, Blaine. They've waited long enough," David tried to be diplomatic.

"We leave in a few minutes," Allan declared excusing himself.

"I'm sorry. They just…the men are tired of waiting," David explained.

Blaine shook his head, "This is a bad idea and you know it."

"You don't know that," David argued, "Maybe there will be something good over there."

"If there is, it's better to go in the daylight," Blaine countered.

David sighed, "Blaine, this is how it's going to be."

"Okay," Blaine conceded, "Before we go, I just…I want to apologize to you," he whispered.

"Apologize?"

Blaine nodded, "I'm sorry for everything. I just…"

"We're leaving!" Allan's voice carried throughout the men.

"Can we talk? I mean really talk after this?" Blaine asked. He needed to make things right with Kurt and to do that he needed to make things as okay as they could be with David. In the face of death and a possible suicide mission, priorities were really put into perspective.

David nodded, "Yeah. I think…I think we need to."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed.

The two stared at each other a second longer, an understanding passed between them, before they got into their respective cars. Each engine roared to life. Blaine gave the dorm building once last look as the car started to roll.

This was it.

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving (those of you who celebrate it) and those who don't, had a good Thursday.

Reviews, recs and fanfic award nominations are always nice ;)

Also, someone asked me if I've written anything else. I have:

Burt Hummel's Guide to Raising a Teenage Son

Falling Away

A Locker Story

Arson is Just a Communal Bonfire

Second Chances

Friends

Learning to Grow

Douceur de Vivre

Lastly, the song used in the story is "The One You Say Goodnight To" by Kina Grannis.


	14. Book 2: Chapter 4

_Kurt – _

_I don't know how to start this, or even what to say. I love you. I love you more than anything. I hope you know that's the truth. I never meant to hurt you. You know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. I was stupid and lonely and I just needed something. I hope you understand that. _

_We're sitting about a half a mile outside of the CDC. Everyone is mentally preparing themselves before we head out. I'm hoping that the rumors are true and we find food, shelter and protection. We scoped this place out for a couple days and didn't see anything one way or another. _

_Just know if there are Maligs waiting, I'm not fighting them for anything but the chance to come home to you. I love you and I hope you never have to read this letter because that'll mean that I didn't...survive._

_I love you._

_Blaine_

~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine sighed and stuffed the scrap of paper and the broken pencil into his pocket.

"Anderson," David whispered, "We're heading out."

Nodding, Blaine stood up watching as the other men followed his lead. The road was lined with buildings and alleyways. Since the attacks first happened, Blaine had gotten used to a lot. He had gotten used to the silence, the lack of lights, and the constant need to look over one's shoulder. However, he hadn't gotten used to going into big cities and walking by empty rows of buildings. It was eerie how everything looked the same as it did before the attacks, but they weren't. Some of the storefronts still had displays and signs that told people to "Come in, we're open."

The men walked on quietly; occasionally the sound of gravel crunching beneath shoes would resound.

Allan pointed and did a few hand signals that Blaine recognized. He readied his gun as they continued to walk the short distance.

Glancing around, Blaine tried to spot if there were any signs of help available to them. There weren't. For the first time, it truly sunk in that they were truly on their own. Sure, he had been told that at the beginning of the mission and he consciously comprehended that fact. Yet, not until this very second did he really understand it. They had to rely on one another from here on out.

"What do you think is up there?" Blaine heard whispered behind him. Turning, he glimpsed at the man. No, he wasn't a man. He was a boy. Probably not more than sixteen years old. He hated this. He hated knowing that kids were bearing this responsibility. True, people could argue that at nineteen, he was still a kid, but he at least got to live out his teenage years. This kid would never go to his senior Prom, never get to dance with his loved one. He'd never get to do the things that Blaine got to do in high school.

Slowing down his steps, he allowed several of the men to pass him until he was in line with the boy.

"Hey," Blaine started, giving the kid an encouraging smile.

"Sir," the boy replied quietly.

Blaine took a breath, "What's your name?"

"Rory," the boy replied. Blaine didn't miss the slight tremble in his voice.

"Rory," Blaine nodded, "I'm Blaine."

"I know," Rory's eyes fell to the weapon in his hands.

Blaine sighed, "How old are you?"

"Does it matter?" Rory almost whispered, "I can fight." After a few seconds Rory took a deep breath, "Fourteen."

"What?"

"I'm fourteen," Rory repeated.

"Rule is you have to be sixteen to join the Insurgence. Especially something like this," Blaine replied.

Shrugging, Rory avoided Blaine's gaze, "Those things took...they took my family. I need to be here. I need to…I just need this."

"I…I get it," Blaine empathized, "Just…just stay safe. Okay? If anything happens, don't worry about us. You run and get out of here."

"But…"

Blaine shook his head, "Seriously, if it comes down to it, save yourself. Someone needs to make it back to the company."

"O-okay," Rory stuttered, a little scared by the intensity in Blaine's eyes, "Okay."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

**March 2012 (3 months before the first attacks)**

Nervous energy and light golden flickers filled the room. It wasn't the first time they had been alone together in Blaine's room. They had used the room many times before as a safe haven from prying eyes. Blaine's parents never seemed to be around – his mom was always out somewhere and his dad was working. Or at least that's what it seemed like to Kurt.

"We're really going to do this," Kurt whispered, almost afraid that if he used his full voice the moment would pass.

Blaine nodded with a soft smile, "If you're ready."

Pressing a kiss to the side of Blaine's mouth, Kurt looked into his boyfriend's eyes, "I'm ready. I love you."

"I love you too," Blaine smiled, reaching out to take Kurt's hand in his.

For a while they allowed their breathing to synchronize and heart beats return to some sort of regular rhythm. Hands intertwined, Kurt couldn't help but think of the great romantic plays. _For __saints __have__ hands __that __pilgrims'__ hands__ do__ touch,__ And__ palm__ to__ palm __is__ holy__ palmers'__ kiss.*_ But they would be doing much more than Juliet and her Romeo did at that moment. Palm to palm might have been enough for those two, but not for Kurt. He wanted more. He wanted all of Blaine. He wanted to give Blaine all of him.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head," Blaine whispered with a chuckle, "What's wrong?"

Kurt met Blaine's eyes and shivered at the intense love and happiness he saw shining back at him, "Nothing. I just really, really love you."

From there, things seemed to move in slow motion and yet before either of them realized it, they were both naked of all layers between them on Blaine's bed. The comforter was haphazardly thrown over top of them.

Warmth seeped in through all sides as arms and limbs tangled. They almost formed their own little cocoon, blocking out the rest of the world while exploring each other's bodies properly for the first time.

There were occasional whispered endearments, but mostly sounds of pleasure and anticipation reverberated around the room.

"I-I want you," Kurt gently tilted Blaine's head so they were looking eye to eye.

Blaine took a deep, shuddering breath, "Are you sure?"

"Please?" Kurt had never felt more vulnerable – naked, in Blaine's bed, asking his boyfriend to become his lover.

Blaine nodded and with shaking hands searched his bed table drawer. He produced a condom and a bottle of lube a few seconds later.

"Someone's been ready for this," Kurt joked, trying to relieve the tension that had crept back up between them.

Rather than justify himself with words, Blaine leaned down and pulled Kurt's lips into another deep kiss. Bodies melded into one another and when Blaine finally got the nerve – he quickly slicked up his fingers.

Kurt's eyes shone with trust and no other words were needed. Blaine thrust one finger gently inside and both gasped at the sensation. To Kurt it wasn't painful, just odd. At first he could feel his muscles trying to reject the intrusion before they gave up and allowed Blaine further entrance.

Blaine watched every expression on Kurt's face. It was an amazing feeling to know that Kurt trusted him that much to allow Blaine inside his body. Kurt was incredibly warm and tight and Blaine ached for the time when he could bury himself inside and loose himself in the sensation that was Kurt.

"Blaine," Kurt sighed, reaching up to pull Blaine in closer for a kiss. The brunette happily deepened it and soon had three fingers inside his partner.

"Ready?" Blaine asked, searching Kurt's eyes for any hesitation.

Kurt nodded and bucked his hips.

It took some fumbling and a few curses before Blaine had the condom out of the foil packet and onto himself. "This is it," Blaine breathed.

"Yeah," Kurt smiled, lifting his hand to take Blaine's. He knew it was going to be uncomfortable, probably even be painful, but he wanted this. He wanted Blaine.

Kurt gasped and moaned as he was breached. It was the most intense feeling he had ever experienced. There was pain that burned deep inside while every inch of him fought to expel the intrusion. However, he willed himself to relax and just let Blaine take care of him and concentrated on breathing.

When Blaine had finally buried himself to the hilt, they both let out a breath. Blaine waited for Kurt to exhale before pulling out, only to gently thrust back inside. Kurt let out a strangled sound as Blaine repeated this motion over and over again. Each time the thrust grew a little more confidant, more forceful until Kurt found himself rocking against every single one of them. Every so often Blaine would brush against that spot inside that set off fireworks and groans of pleasure.

"C-close…so c-close," Blaine managed out.

Kurt moaned in response.

From there things seemed to spiral out of control and Kurt was coming harder than he could handle. He glanced up into his boyfriend's eyes before everything seemed to black out and he felt like he was floating. The feeling didn't last long, as he regained himself quite quickly. He felt Blaine still inside him, trying to use Kurt's body to stroke himself to that pleasure high that only came with orgasm.

"C-coming!" Blaine collapsed against Kurt, and the taller boy felt Blaine continue to spasm inside him. If he hadn't just come down from his own orgasm, he would have come again from the feeling.

It took a minute for both boys to regain themselves.

"That was…" Blaine paused, slipping out of Kurt and removing the condom, "I love you."

Kurt smiled, "I love you too. So much. That was perfect."

"It was," Blaine agreed, "It really was."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

**Present Day**

Kurt sat up straighter in his chair. The small amount of food that had been placed in front of him by Rachel had long grown cold. A part of him felt terrible for letting the food go like that. They barely had enough as it was for everyone.

"Kurt, come on, you have to eat something," Rachel prodded.

"Yeah dude," Finn agreed, "Don't make me tell Burt."

"Tell my dad what?" Kurt frowned, "That I didn't eat one meal? I'm nineteen years old Finn."

Sighing, Finn grabbed up Kurt's fork and shoved it into his hand, "Eat."

"Not hungry right now. Why don't you give this to Drew or one of the kids?" Kurt suggested.

"Because it's for you. You need to eat baby," Mercedes interjected herself into the conversation.

Kurt shook his head, "I'll eat when I'm hungry."

"If this is about Blaine –"

"It's not about Blaine!" Kurt exploded, not meaning to, "I'm sorry, Cedes." He apologized immediately.

Finn reached across the table and covered Kurt's hand with his own, "Kurt…I-I already lost my mom. I don't want to…to lose you too. I'm worried about you."

Sighing, Kurt turned to Rachel and Mercedes, "Can you give us a minute?"

"Yeah," Rachel whispered following Mercedes out of earshot of the boys.

"Finn –"

"Just listen," Finn interrupted, "I know what happened with Blaine sucks. But dude, I'm worried about you. You're my brother. I…I need you to be okay."

Kurt shook his head and sighed, "Finn, I'm alright. I'm okay. I'm doing okay."

"I just…I don't want you to do anything stupid, you know? I want you safe," Finn admitted.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid," Kurt promised.

Finn seemed to mull over Kurt's answer before he held up his fist, "Pound it."

Rolling his eyes, Kurt held up his fist and bumped it with Finn's.

"That's a promise, bro," Finn informed Kurt.

"Okay," Kurt chuckled and picked up his fork. He took a few bites to appease Finn. He smiled to himself when he saw a look of relief pass over Finn's face.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The road opened up to the vast structure that was the CDC. It was overwhelming at first. The building was massive. It looked like a small city could inhabit it.

"We're going to head out two at a time. You see that sign?" Allan pointed to the blue CDC sign, "Cross the street and head there. Stay there until everyone has made it across. We'll continue to do that until we reach the doors. Everyone clear?"

Blaine shook his head, "We shouldn't expose everyone like that. Some of us should wait here in case we get attacked."

"Anderson," Allan tusked, but agreed, "Fine. Who's staying?"

Blaine took a deep breath, "Rory and Karofsky."

"Me? No –" David went to protest.

"We need a leader to stay and take charge. David, you know you're the best man for this. I've seen you. You can take charge and keep calm in bad situations," Blaine turned to Rory, "You. I need you to stay here. I need you to step up if things go south in there."

Rory nodded.

"Come here," Blaine pulled Rory off to the side, "I want you to take this. If something happens to me, find Kurt Hummel back at the motel. Give him this, okay?" Blaine pulled out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Rory.

"O-okay," Rory took the paper and shoved it into his pocket, "I…I….didn't think it was going to be dangerous. This mission."

Blaine nodded, "I hope it won't be. Just stay here. Stay safe. Stay with Karofsky."

"Anderson, we're getting ready," Allan called out.

"Good luck, Rory," Blaine gave Rory's arm a squeeze before joining Allan and the rest of the men.

"We're doing this for our survival," Blaine whispered, trying to encourage the men, "We're doing this to go home."

"When we get inside, look for survivors. If the rumors are correct, they'll be guards at the doors. Let's hope that's true. If we don't see anything, we get inside and gather as much supplies as we can and get out. Got it?" Allan ordered.

The men nodded.

"Alright then, let's do this."

Blaine watched as each pair of men made it across. He closed his eyes for a second and when it was his turn, he ran like hell. Kurt remained on his mind as they made it to the front of the CDC building. In a few seconds they'd know what they were dealing with.

Quickly, Allan grabbed a hold of the front door. The glass was broken out, but most building doors had the glass broken out of them. With a tug, the metal structure opened to reveal what was inside.

Blaine blinked a couple times, his eyes not believing what he was seeing.

* * *

><p>AN: *the quote is from "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.

So sorry for the wait on this chapter! I went to NYC last weekend and didn't have time to get it up. Please read and review! :)


	15. Book 2: Chapter 5

**WARNING: This chapter contains graphic violence, language and disturbing imagery. **

* * *

><p>The room was silent, too much so for Kurt's liking. Silence was something that they had all gotten used to, but it didn't mean they embraced it. Of course, they all needed their own quiet time to decompress and wind down, but somehow this was different. Usually the patter of feet or the muffled echoes of voices would rain down the hallway. Today was different. Today several people had joined in on a trip into the nearest town. The Insurgence had assured them that they had checked many times and had yet to see a Malig there. So, early in the morning six Insurgence members had volunteered to take a group of people into town and to the grocery store that they had raided a couple times in the past.<p>

Kurt had wanted to go at first. He had wanted the opportunity to look for any supplies he may need. His stash of complimentary motel shampoos and conditioners was running low, but he decided at the last minute to stay and have a break from the chaos for a little while.

Everyone that he knew had gone. Mike wanted to look for something "Asian" to make him feel a little more connected to home and Tina had gone with him. Finn and Rachel had gone to find "vegan friendly food" for Rachel. Mercedes and Quinn went to go find baby things for Melanie – somehow they had formed somewhat of a friendship with the girl and wanted to help her. Although, her pregnancy wasn't advertised around the motel, most people had gotten wise to the fact that one of their own was with child.

Sighing, Kurt sat heavily on the chair in the lobby. Drew had stayed behind with the few company members who didn't go.

"You doin' good?" Drew called to Kurt from his post as the door look out.

Kurt nodded, "For the most part."

"Good."

There was a comfortable silence that blanketed the room, but it only lasted a few minutes before Kurt sighed and turned once again to Drew.

"Drew, can I, umm, can I ask you a question?" Kurt mumbled. He hated how his voice sounded.

Drew nodded, "What d'ya need?"

The teen couldn't help but smile inward at Drew. He reminded him of his father, but also a grandfatherly type. He never judged anyone. He did his job and he was genuinely a nice guy.

Kurt shifted, "Do you…I mean how long do you think the.."

"The mission? You wanna know how long it'll take?" Drew finished for Kurt.

With flushed cheeks, Kurt nodded.

"I honestly couldn't tell ya. I just know that the Commander wouldn't have sent them guys if he didn't think they could handle themselves," Drew tried to be reassuring to the young man. "And Blaine, he's a good with a gun. I ain't never see an Insurgence member take to gun fightin' so quickly. He's good. He's smart. If anyone will make it back, it's him."

Kurt opened his mouth to respond, but words failed him. He really didn't know what to say. He knew Drew was right. Blaine was smart, but what if he got trapped in a situation he couldn't escape? What if he got hurt and…no, he wouldn't do that to himself. Kurt wouldn't allow his mind to come up with the different scenarios.

_Blaine is going to be fine. _

_Blaine is going to come back._

_Everything will be okay. _

Nodding to no one in particular, Kurt pulled out his iPhone and turned it on. After a few minutes, the screen flashed before going dark again. Kurt frowned and tried to turn it on again, but the same thing happened. The battery was dead and the last few moments of his and Blaine's relationship before _they_ came was on it.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"This is nice," Finn blurted in the middle of the store.

"What is?" Rachel browsed each shelf carefully.

"This," Finn squeezed Rachel's hand, "Being out. Being able to go out and do this."

Rachel nodded in agreement and lifted up onto her toes to kiss the side of Finn's mouth, "It is. I just wish that Kurt would have come with us."

"I'm worried about him," Finn sighed, "He's barely eating and he's just so…un-Kurt like. It's weird."

"Can you blame him?" Rachel asked, plucking something off the shelf.

With a sigh, Finn shrugged, "I just never thought that Blaine would do something like that. Blaine was just so…I thought he loved Kurt."

"He does," Rachel argued, "Blaine did it because he loved Kurt. Blaine couldn't bear to be without Kurt and so he sought comfort in his time of need. It's kind of romantic when you think about it."

Finn frowned, "How is that romantic? Blaine _cheated_ on Kurt. He had sex with another man. If I had sex with another woman, would you find it romantic?"

"I'd be devastated," Rachel deadpanned.

"Like Kurt," Finn added.

"Yeah, but when given the chance to think about it, I'd realize that you were just trying to find a cheap substitute for me," Rachel squeezed Finn's hand, "And if I had some torrid affair with another man, you'd understand it was because I was missing you."

"No, I wouldn't. I don't know if I could…I just don't know," Finn sighed.

Rachel smiled sympathetically, "Well, you'll never need to worry about that because I'm right here."

Smiling back, Finn leaned down so he was eye level with Rachel. They were on the verge of lips meeting when the couple was interrupted.

"You two think Kurt will like this?" Burt asked gruffly. He held up a bottle of moisturizer. "The kid needs some cheering up."

Rachel looked at the box and chuckled, "Mr. Hummel, that's probably not something he'd use."

"Why not?" Finn asked, taking the box from Burt and examining the front. All it said was Luvena on it with a delicate design.

"Because, that's for…shall we say, _female_ moisturizing," Rachel half whispered.

"Female moistu– oh. _Oh_!" Finn flung the box onto the shelf as if he'd been burned, while the tips of Burt's ears turned crimson and his eyes suddenly found the floor very interesting.

Smiling, Rachel nodded to Burt, "I'll help you find something."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The bile had risen quickly in his throat, so much so that he almost doubled over with the force of a gag. He had to quickly look away, and noticed that most of the men were turning various shades of green and also averting their eyes.

Inside the CDC doors lay probably several hundreds of people. Each one of them was murdered and the carnage was horrifying – probably the worst Blaine witnessed. Women, children, and men. There were even a few babies. No one had been spared.

"Oh my God." There was definite terror in the men's voices as sounds of shock echoed around the group.

Blaine took a few calming breaths threw his nose and swallowed down any remaining sickness, "They're here, or they've been here. We need to move now." He had no idea where the calm he was portraying came from, or how he was managing to take the lead on this.

Allan nodded, "Y-yeah. Guys we need to get out of here. It's not safe."

"Are we going to…to raid for supplies?" Aaron whispered.

"No," Blaine shook his head, "Leave it all. We need to get out of here. We don't know what's still here."

Each of the men collectively agreed. Until now, none of them had really known what the Maligs were capable of. They had all experienced them killing humans, but never like this. Never just a mass slaughtering.

"Listen up!" Blaine whisper shouted, "We're going to go back the way we came. Head out." He pointed back to the route they had just traveled.

Slowly each man made it from the building to the CDC sign. There was an undertone of terror that now lay upon the group. Each man knew that could have been them. It wasn't obvious when the attack had taken place, but it had been sometime in the past several months. If they had gone straight to the CDC, or if they hadn't waited so long to take this mission, they could have been inside that mass tomb.

"You guys go first. Allan and I will be right behind you," Blaine commanded, wanting the men to get to safety. He and Allan were responsible for all their lives and it was up to them to make sure every man made it back regardless if they could walk back into the motel on their own two feet or had to be carried in postmortem.

Internally, Blaine sighed in relief as he watched two men make it across the street and to the checkpoint they had left David and Rory at.

"Now you two," Allan ordered.

The remaining men watched in anticipation as the two Insurgence members started to cross the street.

They didn't get far.

Before anyone realized what was happening, a group of Maligs and their weapons came barreling down the street.

"Fuck," Blaine pointed his gun and waited.

The two men that had been taken unaware seemed to be frozen in place.

"Move damn you!" Allan murmured, following Blaine's lead and lining up his gun.

Looking around, Blaine saw that the four men who had yet to attempt to cross to the checkpoint had their guns locked on the Maligs. He knew, even though he couldn't seem them, that from their hiding spot David, Rory and the two men who had made it also had their weapons trained on the Maligs.

They had learned early on that in times of a standoff to never make the first move. The Insurgence had made that mistake once shortly after Blaine had joined. That mistake had cost them several men and supplies.

"Wait for it," Allan stated.

They watched as one of the Maligs positioned its weapon. One of the things the Insurgence had come to know was when the Maligs were getting ready to fire their weapons and fight.

"Wait for it," Blaine repeated.

It was another few seconds before anything happened.

"Fire!" Blaine ordered, just as a Malig was getting ready to go for the two Insurgence members who had been caught.

The ten Insurgence members shot liberally. Each one aiming for the Maligs' weak spot in their neck.

They watched as two Maligs were taken down almost immediately. However, that didn't lessen their fight any. Maligs came from behind buildings, followed several more. Blaine guessed there were probably 25 or 30 of those _things_ challenging ten men. He closed his eyes for a second. He wasn't sure if they had any real chance of making it out alive. From what he had seen inside the CDC, there was probably a whole makeshift Army of men fighting and it was obvious how well that went over.

"Fuck! I'm out!" Aaron shouted.

"I'm out too!" Another member announced.

Blaine took a deep breath, "I've got a round left!"

"I've got a couple," Allan added.

"Okay," Blaine exhaled, "You four run like hell for the checkpoint. We'll cover you. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt wandered into the motel lobby, his eyes automatically searching for his son.

"He went up to his room a little while ago. Haven't seen him round here since," Drew informed Burt.

"Who?" Burt cleared his throat.

"Your boy. You're worried about him," Drew nodded, "I can tell you were looking for him. I was like that with my son. You know, always worried. Wanted to make everything good for him. It's a parent thing."

Burt sighed, "But you can't always make things better."

"No you can't," Drew held up his hand as if he was holding a beer and saluted Burt with it.

"What happened to your son?" Burt shifted on his feet.

"He…umm…he died," Drew's voice dropped in volume, "Them damn Maligs…he was 21. Just come home from college. His mama was at the store. It just…it happened so fast."

Burt watched as Drew took a deep breath and steeled himself once again.

"You go take care of that kid of yours. He's a good kid," Drew tried to smile.

"Yeah, he is," Burt smiled back and patted Drew on the shoulder.

Pushing past the people who were filing in from their excursion into town, Burt hastily climbed the stairs. The bag of toiletries that Rachel helped pick out was clutched in his hand.

Burt sighed as he neared Kurt's door. He hated that he couldn't do anything to help his son through this. This was Kurt's relationship and only Kurt could make the decision on what to do.

"Knock, knock," Burt said as he turned the door handle.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the darkened room. Kurt had the window covered so no light could escape into the room.

"Kurt?"

"Hey dad," Kurt replied. He was sat on the bed with one of his legs bent at the knee and pulled up to his chest.

Burt held up the bag, "I got you some things while we were out."

"Thanks," Kurt straightened his upper body and stretched, "You can just set it on the dresser. I'll get to it later."

"Okay," Burt did as he was told, "It's some moisturizers and soap and stuff."

Kurt tried to smile, "Thanks dad."

"So, do you want to talk?" Burt cleared his throat and awkwardly sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It's just…I…my iPhone died this afternoon," Kurt held up the phone that Burt hadn't noticed was clutched in his hand.

Frowning, the older man didn't really know what to say, "It…it did?" Out of everything, he would never have guessed those words to come out of Kurt's mouth.

"Yeah," Kurt dropped the phone onto the bed.

"You can't use it," Burt frowned.

Long fingers began to pluck at the blanket covering the bed. "I know," Kurt answered, "It's just that…the last…the last moments between me and Blaine were on it. Now, I don't have that and I don't have him."

"Kurt, I'm – I'm sorry you have to go through this. All of this. It sucks," Burt moved his hand and patted Kurt's shin.

"Yeah," Kurt adjusted himself so that he was sitting next to his father, "Dad?"

Burt made a sound of acknowledgement.

"I've been thinking about mom a lot lately. Sometimes, I wish she was here," Kurt avoided looking his father in the eyes after his confession. "Carole too."

"I do too," Burt sighed, "I do too."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"I'm out!" Blaine shouted as they tried to dodge the Maligs. The attack had been raging for what seemed like hours. Everyone except for Blaine and Allan had made it to the safety of the check point. Blaine and Allan were still vulnerable and out in the open.

Looking over to Allan, Blaine saw something in the other man's eyes that he hadn't seen before. It was almost…threatening.

"Allan!" Blaine tried again, "I know you have more rounds on you! Toss me one!" But Allan made no attempt to give him ammunition. "Allan!"

"That sucks Anderson!" Allan finally responded.

Blaine stood in disbelief as he dodged flying bullets and debris from the Maligs. He made a split decision and grabbed Allan, pulling the other man back behind the CDC sign for some type of protection.

"Allan?"

"I'm not helping you!" Allan growled, "You're just a faggot! You should be dead anyways!"

Blaine felt his blood run cold, "Allan, this isn't…we need to get out of here!"

"Faggots gave my brother AIDS. Faggots are the reason my brother's dead," Allan ranted, not seeming to care that Maligs were getting closer, "You'll die like he did!"

"You're the one who told Commander about me and Kurt!" Blaine realized.

"Damn right! Fucking faggot!" Blaine never saw it coming, but he felt it when Allan took his rifle and slammed it into the back of Blaine's knee, forcing him to fall to the ground in excruciating pain. "How's that faggot?" Allan sneered as he ran across the street, barely missing the Maligs' shots.

"Where's Blaine?" Rory asked in fear.

Allan took a deep breath, "Blaine…Blaine fell. I tried to help him, but it was too late! He told me that we should leave him. That we needed to save ourselves."

"What?" David didn't believe it.

"I'm sorry guys. We…we need to get out of here. Blaine would have wanted us to get back," Allan ordered.

David shook his head, "No! We don't leave a man behind!"

"Karofsky –"

"You go on ahead then. I'm going to bring Blaine back!"

"I'll go with you!" Rory volunteered.

David shook his head, "No. You go with them."

When Rory went to protest, David practically shoved him off with the rest of the group. Luckily the Maligs hadn't noticed them, but David knew that was going to change. There was no way David could find Blaine out there in the open without attracting any Maligs' attention, but he had to do it. He knew that if their positions were reversed, Blaine would be doing the same thing. He had to bring Blaine back. He had to bring him back for…for Kurt. He had to because Blaine loved Kurt and Kurt loved Blaine. He had to because _he_ loved Blaine too.

* * *

><p>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews and rec's are always nice! :) It's always nice to see your name and story up on a rec list! Thanks again! I read every review I get and I just want to THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for them. Your words truly mean so much to me!


	16. Book 2: Chapter 6

David cursed himself as he dodged the Maligs and tried to stay out of sight. In the heat of the moment, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. Now, even if he did find Blaine – and he would – there was no way for them to get back. Yet, he had to do something. He couldn't just let them leave a man behind, especially Blaine. The man had done so much for the Insurgence and the company in general. He had taken on so much responsibility and really cared for everyone at that motel. Blaine fought for them, bled for them, went hungry for them. The least anyone could do was make sure he wasn't left behind where his body would lay in the street. He deserved to be treated with respect and dignity.

As David approached the CDC sign, he fully expected to see a lifeless body. Instead, he found Blaine Anderson very much alive, curled over on his side with his eyes screwed shut and part of his t-shirt pulled into his mouth. He was biting on it so hard that David could see the muscles in his jaw pulled taunt. One of Blaine's hands was cradling the back of his knee, while the other was clamped over his mouth.

"Blaine?" David whispered.

One eye slid open to reveal watery, pained eyes.

"What happened?" David asked, crouching down in a vain attempt to help the situation.

Blaine removed his hand and pulled the fabric out of his mouth, "Fucking Allan," he got out through gritted teeth.

"What?"

"He…bashed….my….knee," Blaine gasped, trying to control the pain.

David frowned, "He said you fell! He said you died!"

"Well I…didn't," Blaine bit his lip, trying to hold in a cry.

"Can you walk?" David hurried out, knowing that the Maligs would probably spot them at any moment. He needed to get them out of there.

Blaine shook his head.

"Okay," David took a deep breath and made a split second decision, "Hold on." He picked up the shorter man as gently as he could and threw him over his shoulder.

Blaine held in a moan of pain as he was moved.

"I'm sorry," David whispered, trying to get them to safety, "I'm sorry about all of this."

"It was Ryans who told Commander. Why the hell didn't you defend yourself?" Blaine demanded in a whisper through gritted teeth. He had the back of the man's shirt balled between his fists.

David didn't answer, but continued his path to safety.

Shaking his head, Blaine banged a fist against David's back when he realized that they were hardly making any progress, "We're not…I'm….You need to go to the men. Get yourself out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"There's no time. The Maligs are going to catch up and you need to get the cars out of here before they can follow them back to base!" Blaine argued, "Now fucking go! I'll be alright! I've got a knife in my pocket."

"You can't hold them all off on your own with a fucking knife!" David protested, "It's suicide!"

Blaine nodded, "Yes I can. Aim for the throat, remember?"

"I'm not leaving you! We all go back or none of us do!"

"No!" Blaine gasped as another ripple of pain shot through his leg.

"Yes! Goddamnit Blaine! I'm not leaving you behind! I love you damn it!" David made it to the trees and put Blaine down temporarily, keeping a steady arm around his waist.

"You what?" Blaine stumbled on his good foot, almost falling onto the ground.

Catching him quickly, David helped Blaine sit, "I can't leave you here!"

"You love me?" Blaine bit back a scream as he accidently moved his knee.

"We need to go!" David screeched, hearing the echo of the Maligs as they drew closer.

Blaine shook his head, "I can't walk and you can't keep carrying me. You need to go! David go!"

"No!" David threw Blaine over his shoulder once more without warning and began to run.

Blaine made a keening sound as his injury was continuously jostled. This caused David to run faster, trying to make it back to the cars. However, he soon realized that he couldn't go very far or fast. His shoulder was starting to burn from the weight.

"You can't! No more!" Blaine cried out as David fell to his knees from the pain and the weight of his cargo.

"GO!" Blaine screeched, pushing at David.

David stood up just in time to see two Maligs coming up their way. Thinking quickly, he half dragged and pulled Blaine farther into the trees. "Stay quiet," David demanded, and before Blaine realized it, the bigger man was walking back to the road and open space.

Through horror filled eyes, Blaine could only watch as David taunted the Maligs and led them away from where he was. David took down one almost immediately, the bullet from his gun hitting the Malig just right, but the other one had those damn robot weapons with them.

"Fuck you!" David screamed, trying to take it out.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. There were several shots that rang out, but the things had blocked Blaine's view. Then as soon as it had happened, it was over and the Malig retreated.

Blaine laid silent for what seemed like hours. When he was sure that nothing was coming back, he slowly got up and in excruciating pain, hobbled as best he could to the road. His eyes drifted trying to find David and that's when he saw him. The other man was on the ground.

"David!" Blaine whispered in panic, biting his lip as he ran as best he could. When he finally got to David, there was blood running down his chin from biting so hard.

"I'm…okay," David sputtered, but Blaine knew better. David was covered in blood and his breathing was shallow. "You…go!"

Shaking his head, Blaine drew his weapon, "I'm not leaving you! Remember? We don't leave a man!"

"Go!" David coughed up blood that drizzled down his chin.

"No!" Blaine argued, trying to come up with some way to get them both back to safety. It was useless, though, and Blaine knew it. There was no way he could carry, or even drag, the larger man. "I'm going to stay with you!" He hissed, settling on the ground and trying to stop the bleeding. There was so much that he didn't know where to start.

David shook his head, "I'm dying." He gasped, finding just enough strength to take hold of Blaine's hand.

"No!" Blaine shook his head furiously, "No. We're going to get you help and you're going to be fine. Do you hear me? You're going to be fine."

"Blaine," David tried to get air, "Mel-Melanie's…pre-preg-nant."

"Shhh," Blaine hushed, "Save your strength."

Shaking his head, he tightened his grip on Blaine's hand, "Take care…of baby."

"You're going to be there for your baby," Blaine argued, trying to pull his hand free to apply pressure to one of the multiple bullet wounds on David's torso, "Shh, now…"

David used all his strength to pull Blaine down so that they were almost nose to nose, "I…I was n-ever…happier than…when I was…w-with you." His eyes slid shut.

"No," Blaine pulled his hand free, cupping the other man's face between his fingers, "David! No! You can't die! Not like this! Wake up!" He pleaded, trying to think back to the CPR training he had as a freshman at Dalton.

His hands moved rapidly to David's chest as he started chest compressions. "Stay with me!" When David didn't respond, fists started to beat relentlessly on his chest, looking for any sign of life. "Come on David! Don't you fucking dare do this to your child!" Blaine tried in vain for a few more minutes blowing into David's airway and trying to get his heart beating again.

Exhaustion was starting to settle into Blaine's body and he knew he couldn't keep up CPR much longer. His head was beginning to swim. There was no way he could make it back to the cars, let alone back across the street.

_So__this__is__how__it__ends._ A few tears escaped his eyes. _Kurt,__I__love__you.__I__'__m__sorry._

He was just about to let his eyes fall closed and give into darkness where he would pray that the pain would fade quickly, when he heard something approaching. Trying to make himself as small as possible, he half curled into David's body.

"Please," Blaine whispered into David's shirt, "Please someone."

"Anderson? Karofsky?" A familiar voice called out followed by the sound of a car door slamming.

"Aaron!" Blaine looked up to see the young man in front of him.

"You okay?" He asked approaching Blaine.

Blaine shook his head, "No! We're hurt pretty bad. I can barely walk."

"Jerry, get over here!" Aaron screamed and Blaine felt himself being lifted by the two men.

"What happened?" Jerry sat Blaine into the car.

Blaine shook his head, "Karofsky!"

"There's no pulse!" Aaron hollered, having rushed back over to the other body, "He's gone."

"Guys! We need to go now!" Timothy warned from the front seat, "I think I see lights coming this way!"

"Get Karofsky!" Blaine begged.

"We can't! He's dead!" Aaron got back into the car.

Timothy quickly made a u-turn and the tires squealed as he peeled down the road.

"No! We have to go back! We have to get him!" Blaine fought against Jerry who was holding him in a vice grip.

Timothy shook his head, "He's dead Blaine! He's dead!"

"No!" Blaine shook his head, "He's got a baby on the way! He's…we have to go back!"

"Anderson, you need to calm down! Tell me where you're hurt?" Timothy demanded.

Blaine continued to shake his head and fight. It wasn't long before the pain in his knee and his exhaustion claimed him and he slipped from consciousness, Jerry's arms still holding him in place.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt felt Brittany tug his hand as she pulled him towards the crowd gathered in the garage. One of the Insurgence men had spotted the caravan of cars coming. The Commander had once again congregated as many of the company members in the garage as possible.

"Everything's going to be all right now," Brittany smiled at Kurt.

"I hope so, Britt," Kurt nodded, trying to smile back.

Brittany nodded back, "It is. You see, I wished on the brightest star outside that Blaine Warbler would come back and we'd be safe. Wishes on the brightest star have to come true."

"Thank you," Kurt wrapped his arm around her shoulders and briefly hugged her.

The loading dock doors opening silenced the crowd. One car after another pulled into the space to be greeted by the cheers of the company.

"Wait," Finn stepped next to Kurt, offering his brother support, "There's a car missing."

"Maybe it got behind some," Mike reasoned from behind the brothers.

They watched as several men and Allan Ryans got out of the car. Everyone waited as Ryans whispered something into the Commander's ear, watching the Commander take a shuddering breath before nodding.

"I'd like to welcome back the Insurgence members," the Commander started, "These men bravely went out to try and find a secure place for the company."

The company cheered the men.

Holding up his hand, the Commander looked around the room with a grave look of his face, "I'm going to ask everyone to leave the room at this time."

A blanket of confusion fell over the room as some people started to leave, while others stayed put.

"Please. Everything will be explained at a more appropriate time," the Commander looked pointedly at the group.

Finally, the remaining company members began to filter out of the room. However, Kurt stayed put. His eyes scanned the returning men for Blaine. Whe didn't see him, his internal resolve started to crumble.

"Kurt, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the Commander said gently as he approached the younger man.

"I…where's Blaine?"

The Commander sighed, "Everything will be explained later. Please," he gestured to the door.

"Wait," a young boy ran up to the two men, "Wait!"

"Son?" The Commander turned to the boy in concern.

"My-my name is Rory, sir. B-Blaine asked me to…to give this to you," Rory held out a shaking hand holding a note.

At that moment, Kurt felt his heart clench. His whole body went numb and why was it suddenly so cold? "No," Kurt involuntarily stepped back, horrified, "No."

"Please?" Rory pleaded, as tears started to burn his eyes.

"Wh-what hap...happened?" Kurt's bottom lip quivered with such force that Rory was afraid he'd chip a tooth.

Taking a deep breath, Rory did his best to hold back his emotions, "He, umm, he…he fell."

"Fell," Kurt gasped, blinking back tears, "How?"

"He –"

"That's enough Flanagan," Allen stepped up, "I'm very sorry, Kurt. You weren't supposed to find out this way, but just know that Blaine fell a hero. His last words to me were _save__the__men.__Leave__me__here__and__save__the__men_. He sacrificed himself so we could live."

Kurt sniffled, trying to stay composed in front of the men.

It didn't last long.

A small whimper escaped his lips. This was followed by a cry and then sobs that turned into hysterics forcing his whole body to be wracked with pain and gasping breaths. "No!" Kurt screamed, "No! No!"

"I'm so sorry for your loss," the Commander tried to place a comforting hand on Kurt's shoulder, only to have it brushed away as Kurt jerked back.

"No! No! Don't you dare do that! Blaine's g-g…It's your fault! He went out there for you! He w-w-was the best man! You killed him! You all killed him!" Kurt screeched.

No one made a move, frozen in place almost suspended, until Rory broke it. He didn't care about decorum or how he was supposed to act as an Insurgence member. He threw himself at Kurt and into his arms, his cries mingling with Kurt's heart-broken keening.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

A younger man, barely twenty, followed a small group of men.

"Stupid eejits," an older man sighed, walking by the CDC sign. They had witnessed the entire incident with those _things_ and the Insurgence. They knew not to get involved. There were too many of _them_ and too little of the men. They barely had any guns and their ammo was running dangerously low. So they watched as a group of men trying to put on a brave front retreated. They watched as another man purposely ran out to greet those _things_. They watched and couldn't do a thing about it.

"Do you see any bodies?" Another man sighed.

"No….wait, there's one over here!"

The small company of men headed towards the sound of the voice, glad that they had waited several hours for the things to leave.

"He got any ammo on him?"

"No."

"Unnnhh…grrrr," a gurgling noise came from the body's mouth.

"I think he's still alive!"

The body coughed a few times.

"He's alive. What do we do?"

"Blah…blah…." The body murmured.

"It's okay, it's alright," one of the men tried to comfort the struggling man.

"Blah…blah….Blaine…" The body whimpered.

"Your name's Blaine? I'm Sebastian," Sebastian tried to comfort him.

"N-no," the man shook his head, coughing up more blood. His voice was barely a whisper, "D-d-da..da…vid."

Sebastian nodded, "David?"

Nodding, David gasped for air.

"Shhh, just hold on. Go get Dr. Fenton from the check point," Sebastian called out, "Shhh…you're going to be alright."

David nodded again and closed his eyes, one name falling from his lips, "Blaine…Blaine…Blaine."

Everything went black.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry if the formatting may be a little off. FF is being wonky today.

Thank you all for reading. Would love to hear what you guys think :)

Next update will come next week. (I'm not intending to take a break for the holidays). In fact, I'm writing a holiday story - that is if I can get it done in time. :D

Please review! Would love to break 100 reviews - would be a wonderful early Christmas present :D


	17. Book 2: Chapter 7

Every dream,

Every wish,

Every hope,

Every _thing_,

All of it gone. Shattered. He was learning just how literal the term _broken hearted _was. His own felt like it was being ripped into sharp, large and thick shards that were severing his body from the inside out.

It had only been a few minutes since the Commander, Rory and Allen had bid him their condolences and tried to ply him with words of comfort. Meaningless words about how brave Blaine was and how great of a man he was. None of that mattered. None of that even fucking mattered. All that mattered was the fact that Blaine was never…he was….he was never coming home. He was left out there like trash.

"I n-need to go there. I n-need t-to find him," Kurt almost sobbed, voice thick with emotion.

The Commander shook his head, "No. I'm so sorry, but it's too dangerous. These men barely made it out of there."

"No!" Kurt gasped and turned to Allan, "Please. Please take me to him. Please take me there."

"Kurt, I…I'm sorry, but no," Allan faked sympathy.

"I need to!" Kurt was full blown hysterical, "I'm going! If I have to walk, I'll fucking walk! I'm going to Blaine!"

"I can't let you do that, son. Don't make me lock you up," the Commander put a supportive hand on Kurt's shoulder, trying to calm the teen down.

Kurt violently stepped away from the man, "I'm going," he sniffled, trying to keep his tears at bay.

"No!" Rory's voice startled everyone in the garage, "Kurt, please…" He begged, grabbing onto Kurt's arm, "Please. You'll die out there!"

"Rory, he's…he's…I love him! We can't just leave him out there!"

"What do you think you'll find?" The Commander calmly approached Kurt, "He's not there anymore. It's just a body, okay? He's in a better place. And I know he'd want you in a place that's safe. Right now that place is here."

"You don't know that! You don't know what he wants!" Kurt practically growled.

Allan stepped up, "Blaine's in a much better place. He's watching over you right now and if you leave…Kurt, think about it. Blaine's in Heaven and –"

"Don't you dare talk to me about God!" Kurt lashed out, "There is no God! Not in the world before _they_ came and certainly not in this world!"

"Blaine was –" The Commander was cut off when Kurt suddenly ran out of the room, surprising everyone.

He just had to get out. It was too suffocating, too stifling, _too_ much in that room and he just…he needed out.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Each and every step took her closer to some place. She wasn't sure where. All she knew was she couldn't stop. She had to keep walking.

One foot in front of the other.

That's how she had been living. Minute to minute and step by step.

She had to keep moving. Moving meant surviving and surviving meant living and living meant she was still human. She was still somewhere.

It was hard to wake up every morning, having had only an hour or so of sleep, and wonder if today was it. If today was the day that her life would end.

Stumbling, she reached out to grab a hold of the guard rail surrounding the highway.

How much longer could she survive?

She had no idea.

Every store, house, building had been raided months ago. The few things she had managed to gather were running thin.

She knew if she didn't find something or any signs of civilization soon, there was no way she'd make it.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Talk to me Jerry! How's Blaine doing?" Timothy sped down I-75, trying to make it back to the motel as fast as possible without drawing attention from Maligs or less than desirable people.

"Passed out! I think he's starting to get an infection!" Jerry had noticed Blaine's body temperature had risen since he collapsed in the car to the point of being feverish.

Aaron turned back from the passenger seat, "His face is pale."

"I'm going as fast as I can. Try and wake him up! Aaron, once we're back at the motel grab Sharon," Timothy focused on the road.

"Blaine, hey Blaine," Jerry slapped Blaine's cheeks, but not enough to cause pain.

Blaine groaned, his head rolling to the side, but he didn't wake up.

"Come on Blaine, we need you to wake up!" Aaron tried.

"Nungh," Blaine grumbled.

"That's right. Wake up buddy," Jerry coaxed, gently rubbing Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine made a few more gurgling sounds, before his eyes opened in a squint, "Wh-what?" His teeth chattered.

"We need you to stay awake, okay?"

"S-so t-tired," Blaine's whole body began to shake, "K-K-urt…w-wa-nt…K-ur-t."

Jerry and Aaron shared a look.

"L-love h-h-him," Blaine managed out before his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Shit!" Jerry exclaimed trying to rouse Blaine once again to no avail, "Tim, put your fucking foot down!"

Without comment, Tim accelerated almost to the limit.

"The rumors are true," Aaron stated. His concern for Blaine was still evident in his eyes, but his curiosity overflowing. "Him and that mechanic boy."

"I guess. Doesn't change anything," Jerry continued to try and soothe the man in his arms.

"No it doesn't," Timothy interjected, "How's his injury looking Jer?"

Jerry inhaled sharply as his eyes traveled down to Blaine's knee, "Swollen. The only thing containing the swelling is his pants. It's bent, but should I straighten it?"

"No! Don't move it. We're almost there, I think. Hold on Blaine, we'll be there in less than an hour!" Timothy shouted.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt and Finn, along with the rest of the remaining New Direction members had stood around the lobby for quite some time. Each one trying to figure out why the Commander had ordered them to leave the garage.

"What do you think happened?" Tina whispered quietly.

Mike shrugged, "We can only wait until Commander tells us."

"I didn't see Blaine," Rachel commented, "Did you guys?"

Collective shaking of the heads, followed by whispered _no's_ went around the small group.

"Where's Kurt?" Brittany asked, grabbing onto Santana's hand.

That's when the group had realized he wasn't standing with them. Through all the confusion and mutterings amongst the company, they hadn't realized that Kurt wasn't with them.

"He was standing with you Britt," Finn turned to the blonde, "Did he come out with you?"

"No," Brittany shook her head.

Burt opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by his son running past him. "Kurt?" Burt called after him, but Kurt went on as if he didn't hear his father.

"Kurt!" Finn called and received the same answer as Burt.

Burt and Finn both made a move to start to go after them, when another person shot out into the lobby calling Kurt's name.

"Kid! Hey kid!" Burt ran after the young man, grabbing his shoulder.

"I…" The boy's mouth hung open in surprise.

Burt tried to give him an encouraging look, "What's your name?"

"Rory, sir," Rory quickly swiped his eyes.

"What happened in there?" Burt wanted to know.

Rory sighed and shook his head, "I… I can't…Insurgence…I…"

"I'm Kurt's dad," Burt pleaded with his eyes.

Hesitating for just a moment, Rory sniffled, "Bl..Blaine, he…he didn't come home."

"What do you mean didn't come home?" Burt swallowed thickly, already knowing the answer.

"He…he fell, sir," a few tears rolled down Rory's cheeks. "Kurt, he left a note for Kurt."

"Blaine, he's…gone," Rachel whispered.

Rory nodded, "I'm sorry."

"Oh God," Tina gasped, leaning into Mike for support.

"I should, umm…go check on Kurt," Rory shifted awkwardly.

"It's okay," Burt held up his hand and sighed, "I'll go."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Shutting the door, Kurt whimpered as he leaned back against it. It was too much. All too much.

Inhaling deeply, he had to bring the back of his hand to his mouth to help choke back the sob and bile that had risen in his throat. The room smelled so much like Blaine. That scent used to represent comfort and love, but now all it brought was incredible pain.

_How am I supposed to do this? _

Kurt shook his head, willing it all to be a dream. This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen.

"Blaine," he whispered into the empty room. He knew it was stupid and pointless. Blaine was no longer there. Blaine was...gone. When you…go, that's it. There's no Heaven or Hell or afterlife. There's no God.

Blaine wasn't "up above" in some nirvana city contained within pearly white gates. He wasn't in a "better place." He was just…gone. He wasn't ever coming back.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Kurt whispered into the room, moving towards the bed. He gingerly picked up a discarded shirt off the blanket and hugged it to his chest.

Trying to hold the tears at bay, Kurt took a few deep breaths.

They did nothing for him and soon he found himself sobbing, this time into Blaine's shirt. He processed that the horrible choking noise reverberating off the walls was him, but he couldn't stop. He just needed it to be over. Needed it to stop.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt exhaled as he walked down the hallway. He knew his son well enough to know that he would only be in one place: Blaine's room.

He had hoped his son would never have to go through this. He didn't want his son to ever have to go through the heartbreak of losing the love of his life like Burt had. He knew this was a hurt that wouldn't ever fully go away. At random times, the pain of loss would creep up to remind you it was still there.

Burt took a deep breath as he reached Blaine's door. He mentally readied himself for what he needed to say to his son to at least try to lessen the pain. He didn't have much time to prepare, though, as he heard gut wrenching sobs coming from inside.

"Oh Kurt," he sighed and pushed the door open, closing it behind him.

Quietly, he approached his son and sat next to him on the bed, "Kurt?"

The teen didn't waste any time as he threw himself onto his father, burying his head in a burly shoulder.

"Kurt," Burt wrapped his arms around his son's thin frame and stroked his back trying to offer support.

"Dad," Kurt hiccupped into Burt's shoulder, "Dad."

Burt nodded, "I'm here. I've got you."

"Daddy," Kurt whimpered trying to bury himself in his father's arms.

"I'm here," Burt repeated. He knew not to say trivial things like _it's going to be okay _or _it'll get better_. When Kurt's mom had died, that's all people would say to him and it pissed him off. That wasn't what he had wanted to hear. He had wanted to grieve. He wanted people to grant him license to be livid with the world around him. So, he wasn't going to say those things to Kurt. He wouldn't tell him that Blaine was in a better place or that he'd feel better in the morning because Burt knew Kurt didn't need to nor want to hear that. Kurt needed time to hate the world. And he needed to know that Burt was there. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kurt whimpered, "Blaine."

"Yeah," Burt continued to hold his son. He knew better than to ask if his son needed anything. The answer to that question was plainly obvious.

"He…I…I…" Kurt was too far gone with grief and loss to be able to form any proper sentences.

Burt kissed the top of Kurt's head, "I know."

"Why?" Kurt moaned as if he were in physical pain.

"I don't know, Kurt," Burt's hand traveled up so he was able to pet Kurt's hair.

Kurt choked on a sob, "Blaine."

"I know," Burt closed his eyes, "I'm here. I'm here, Kurt."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Timothy never felt more relief than when he passed the highway sign notifying drivers they were two miles from Eaton. "We're almost there! How's Blaine doing?"

"He's still breathing," Jerry had been holding onto every single one of Blaine's inhales and exhales. He was terrified for the young man. Blaine had really become a leader and he respected Blaine for everything he stood for. He also reminded Jerry of his son who had been lost at the beginning of the attacks. His son was a few years younger than Blaine, but was charming and charismatic like him. His son was also gay like Blaine. He supposed that's why he had an emotional investment in Blaine. He needed Blaine to be okay, he needed to make sure another good man didn't die on his watch.

"One mile!" Timothy announced, "Come on Blaine. Hang on just a few more minutes!"

"S-so c-c-c-c-old," Blaine sobbed softly, startling everyone in the car.

Jerry wrapped Blaine tighter in his arms, "We're almost there buddy. Stay awake now, okay? Tell me about…about Kurt."

"K-urt's…he's…am-maz-zing," Blaine got out before crying out in pain.

"Amazing? How so?" Jerry kept an eye on the car window.

Blaine took in a shallow breath, "He's…h-he's…t-t-tired."

"No! Blaine, keep talking to me, okay?" Jerry heard a noise of triumph come from the front and thanked God. The motel was within sight.

"C-can't. H-hurts!" Blaine scrunched up his face and a few more tears leaked from his eyes.

Jerry nodded, "I know. We're almost there. Just hold on a bit longer."

"We're here," Timothy announced parking right in front of the main entrance. Everyone's top priority was getting Blaine inside and to the help he so desperately needed.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

She had walked all through the day and into the night. It always scared her how the world seemed to go pitch black at night. The only light was from the moon and the stars. She used to love to look up at the night sky and spot the natural glowing lights above. Now, she could only curse them. _They_ had come from above. _They_ had cost her all of her family. She had nothing left and yet she kept trying to survive.

For a brief time she had considered finding a way to end it all. Yet, something inside her kept pushing through, making her fight to stay alive another second.

She kept walking down the highway. If she didn't get somewhere soon, she'd have to spend the night roadside, vulnerable to _them_. She wouldn't sleep if she didn't have to, but she was exhausted.

The darkness only seemed to get darker the more steps she took, but then she spotted something. Were those…headlights?

Taking a deep breath, she was torn between following the vehicle attached to the headlights and keep on walking. Some people in this world would put a bullet between your eyes just to take a loaf of bread from you. She had seen death and murder that was manmade. It made her utterly ill. But she was starving, exhausted and desperate.

Making a decision, she walked in the direction she saw the car turn and followed.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt sat with Kurt until all the tears and sobs had subsided into occasional small whines.

"I need to get out of here. I just can't…I need to…there's too much…" _Blaine_.

"Okay," Burt momentarily faltered before nodding against his son's cheek, "We can go to the cafeteria. Get you some food."

Kurt pulled back, "Does Finn and everyone…know?"

Taking a breath, Burt patted Kurt's shoulder, "Yeah. That Rory kid told us."

"I don't want their pity," Kurt stated vehemently.

"No one pities you," Burt promised.

"I just, can you…can you give me a moment?" Kurt pleaded.

Burt hugged his son one last time and stood up. "Yeah. Take all the time you need. I'll be in the lobby," he turned to leave.

"Dad?"

"Yeah," Burt turned to give his full attention to the teen.

"Will it stop hurting?"

Burt let out a long exhale, "Not entirely. But, it will get easier."

"Thanks," Kurt tried to smile, but failed miserably, "Thanks for being honest."

Burt mustered the most comforting smile he could, "Come down when you're ready."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"We're here, Blaine!" Timothy announced, practically throwing the car into park.

Jerry was the first to move and eased Blaine from his arms. He clamored out of the car and ran to the other side. Throwing the door open, he stopped.

"How do we do this?" Aaron asked as he and Timothy joined Jerry.

Jerry shook his head, "I don't know. I don't want to move him if…Aaron go get Sharon."

"Right," Aaron was visibly shaken by the situation and glad for the excuse to get away.

"Blaine? Blaine?" Jerry tried to rouse the younger man.

Blaine groaned, but didn't open his eyes.

"Help is coming," Timothy looked helplessly to Jerry, "What do we do?"

Jerry stood, unsure.

"I don't…Blaine? Wake up Blaine!" Timothy tried again.

The two men stood helplessly looking from one another to Blaine. Luckily, they didn't have to wait very long.

"I'm here," Sharon announced, running towards the car, "Aaron said there was a problem."

Jerry nodded, "Blaine was injured pretty badly. His kneecap…we think it's shattered. I think he has a fever and an infection starting," he stated frantically.

"Okay, uh," she tried to think quickly back to her medical training. She had only been a med student for less than a year before the attacks. She hadn't even started clinicals or seeing patients yet, "We need to…to get his knee straightened in a splint."

The men carefully scrounged around the car and the trunk trying to find anything they could. When they came up empty handed, Timothy unloaded his rifle and held it up, "We could tie it to this."

"It'll do," Sharon nodded, and with trembling hands, took off the old cardigan she had found in the motel storage room, "Shred this and tie his leg with this." She offered the garment to the men who did as they were told.

"What next?" Jerry looked to her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "We need to get him inside."

"And then what? I think I see an outline of a couple bones," Timothy was starting to turn green. "And his knee is the size of a freaking basketball!"

"I, umm…I…I –" She was completely and utterly out of her realm of knowledge. She knew that Blaine would most likely need surgery to repair the damage, but there was nothing she could do. She was lost.

"Hello?" A voice startled them and Jerry grabbed his gun from the backseat, aiming at the intruder.

"What do you want?" Jerry demanded, stepping in front of the car.

The woman advanced a step closer, "I need help. Do you…have a place to sleep for the night? I can help with whatever in exchange."

"Are you a doctor?" Timothy prayed she was.

"No," the woman replied, "But I am a registered nurse."

"We need your help!" Jerry ran over and grabbed her arm, dragging her over to the car, "His knee…we think it's shattered and…help him."

The woman assessed the situation for a second, "I'm not a doctor."

"But you know what to do, right?" Jerry begged.

"I can try. Let's get him inside. Carry him carefully and try not to move his knee too much," she sighed in relief at the prospect of having one night of safety ahead of her.

The small group moved quickly to the motel and she was amazed to see dim lights in the lobby. She watched as people who were milling around the room stopped what they were doing to stare at the two men carrying the injured one inside. Calls of _get the Commander_rang out across the room.

"Ungh!" A pained voice pulled her from her observations and she rushed to the injured man's side. "Ungh," he opened his eyes.

Gasping, she blinked a few times. Outside in the dark she hadn't had the opportunity to get a good look at the patient, but now she saw him, "Blaine?"

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt had been sitting in the lobby. He was grateful that Finn and the group of glee kids hadn't asked him too many questions about Kurt. They just sat quietly, waiting for the teen to come and join them. Then they had resigned themselves to only giving Kurt silent support.

However, their mutual silence was broken by chaos. They spotted a few Insurgence members rushing in carrying a man. Surprised and panicked voices could be heard as the men tried to move their way through the now forming crowd.

Tina was the first to spot who had just come in. "Is that…?"

"Blaine?"

The group hadn't notice Kurt slip in behind them.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice grew stronger, "Blaine?"

Blaine's head lolled as he was carried, his eyes barely open.

"Blaine?" Kurt stood frozen, his body going numb for the second time that night.

Weakly, Blaine lifted his head, "Kurt?" Blaine whispered before his eyes rolled back and his entire body went limp.

"Shit! We need to get him to a quiet space now!" A female ordered.

Finn frowned at the woman rushing towards Blaine, "Mom?"

* * *

><p>AN: Hope you like this chapter! A lot is going on here, but what do you think of the new development?

More will be explained in the next chapter.

Thank you to each and every one of you who have reviewed. I truly, truly, truly appreciate it! Each comment makes me smile, so thank you so much! Please keep reviewing and rec'ing! :)

Also, thank you so much for all the reviews last chapter! We were just shy of 100 reviews! So let's aim for 110 today! :) Would make me very happy! Less than 3 you all so much!

Hope you all had a good holiday! And the next chapter will be up next year! ;)


	18. Book 2: Chapter 8

Allen sighed in satisfaction as he reclined his bed with a plate of food on the night table next to him.

Blaine Anderson was finally gone.

He looked like a hero.

Life was good.

A part of him felt bad that it had to be that way, but he couldn't let Blaine continue to be _gay_. He couldn't let the infestation continue on in the motel. The longer he let it go on, the more people would think it was okay and the more the homosexual agenda would carry on.

Sure, Blaine was a decent leader. He was smart, people liked him, he was an okay guy. However, that didn't mean anything. Blaine Anderson still chose to be gay. Blaine Anderson was going to burn in Hell.

Smirking, he reached over and picked up his plate. He almost lost his composure in front of that Kurt Hummel kid. When tears started to gather in Kurt's eyes, Allan wanted to roll his eyes. Men didn't love men like that. Men didn't have the capacity to love other men like that. Men loved women. Women loved me. The end. The only reason why a man would sleep with another man was to fulfill some sick sexual desire.

Once the grief of Blaine's loss went away, the company would see they were better without him. Allen took a bite and leaned back against a pillow. He knew they'd all see they were stronger and just better without Blaine Anderson and maybe even Kurt would realize that homosexuality wasn't the way.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Chaos, commotion and a blur left Kurt, Finn and Burt standing around a guest room in the corner of the motel's first floor. Tina and Mike had squeezed Kurt's shoulder and briefly hugged the teen, telling him they'd come back once things had settled. Santana and Brittany also took leave, giving both Finn and Kurt a supportive smile. Timothy, Aaron and Jerry nodded at the family and informed them they'd grab the Commander and stand watch outside the room.

"Mom?" Finn repeated in fear, watching the woman free Blaine's injured knee from his pant leg.

"It's me Finn," Carole looked up for a second, motioning for Sharon to take over for a brief second.

Finn took a wobbly step forward, "Mom?"

"It's me, sweetheart," Carole opened her arms, only to have her son throw himself at her with so much force that she almost fell backwards.

"But I…I saw the hospital and it was…it was destroyed. There's no way…" Burt gaped.

Carole turned her head to face her husband, "I will explain everything later, but right now I need to see to Blaine."

"Mommy," Finn held on tighter when she made a move to step out of the embrace.

"Baby, I need to look at Blaine. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I love you," Carole soothed, fighting her own tears at seeing her son, stepson and husband again.

With some gentle coaxing, Finn finally managed to let his mother go. Carole patted his cheek before turning back to Blaine. A surprised hiss escaped her lips as she saw Blaine's naked knee for the first time. There was a bone protruding from the skin in a weird angle and Blaine's knee was a deep purple and red color.

"He needs an X-Ray," Carole whispered, "But that's impossible. I'm going to have to perform surgery and fix it."

"But…" Kurt stuttered.

Carole took a deep breath, "I know I'm not a doctor, but I've sat through many knee surgeries. Sharon can assist."

"Me? I-I…" Sharon looked on in fear.

"Are there any medical supplies?" Carole looked to the men.

"We had a group bring some supplies back from an old pharmacy and a doctor's office in town," they looked up to see the Commander entering the room, "Aaron, go grab it from the supply room."

Carole nodded and gently ran her hand over the top of Blaine's knee. The teen jerked and let out a howl, regaining consciousness once again.

"Shh," Carole soothed, "Blaine. It's alright. I know it hurts, but can you tell me where you are?"

Blaine grunted. "M-motel. I-I…th-think," he answered through clenched teeth.

"That's right," Carole nodded, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're…dead!" Blaine moaned, tears spilling out of his eyes, "K-Kurt? K-Kurt?"

In less than a second, Kurt was at Blaine's side. "I'm here, Blaine. I'm right here," he soothed, taking Blaine's hand into his.

"I…I…" Blaine stuttered as his teeth started to chatter from the immense pain.

"Shhh. Sweetheart, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay," Kurt ran a hand through Blaine's sweat soaked curls.

Blaine whimpered and with an astounding amount of strength, grasped Kurt's hand, "D-don't…leave…me."

"I won't," Kurt promised, "Shhh. I'm just so glad you're alive. So glad," he leaned over and brushed his lips against Blaine's forehead.

"Mommy?" Finn's voice cut through the room. "Mommy?"

Leaving Blaine's side, Carole took Finn's hand into one of hers and Burt's hand into the other, "I love you both so much. I'm so, so, so…" She teared up, "I'm so happy that you're both here and okay."

"I can't believe you're here," Burt whispered.

Carole smiled and nodded. It had been so long and she had never thought she'd ever see her boys again. She had resigned herself to the fact that she was well and truly on her own. All these months, days, years…she didn't quite know. Time was lost when you were left on your own without any contact with people.

"I got it!" Aaron rushed back into the room and handing the bag to Carole.

Carole quickly searched through the bag and came up with a few things, "Where the hell did you get Ether?" She whispered, setting it on the nightstand next to Blaine.

"The town is real small. There was a doctor who was also a pharmacist in town. I think it came from there," Aaron shifted nervously.

"We've got some unopened scalpels and what looks like stitches. Aaron, can you bring me some screws and any tools you may have and any disinfectant?"

"I think we've got some hand sanitizer, soap and warm water," the Commander offered.

Carole nodded, "Good. Also, do you have a paint mask or something of that sort?"

"Y-yeah," Aaron rushed off.

"Why…why do you need all that?" Kurt gulped.

Ignoring her stepson, Carole sat down on the bed next to Blaine, "Sweetie, I need you to be really brave for me, okay?"

"Am I…am I going to be…okay?" Blaine whispered.

"I'm going to take as good of care of you as I can," she tilted his chin so he could look at her, "Sharon and I are going to put you under with the ether. You won't feel a thing and when you wake up, everything will be different. I'll be right back, honey." Standing up, she gathered Kurt, Burt, Finn and the Commander into a huddle away from Blaine, "I've never done this. I've assisted, but…if things go south I may have to…let's just hope things are okay. I don't…I'm going to do the best I can."

"Please, Carole, please just help him," Kurt pleaded.

"I'll do my best," Carole took a deep breath, "You guys go and wait outside. Let Sharon and myself prep Blaine."

Kurt watched as the men followed Carole's command. "I love you. You're going to be okay," he kissed Blaine's cheek, "I'll be here when you wake up."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Sebastian sat vigilant over the man. For some reason he just couldn't leave him. Their group had collected David and brought him back to their campsite in an abandoned apartment building in the city. Dr. Fenton had gone to work right away, extracting bullets and shrapnel from the wounded body. Bandages were applied; all the while David never regained consciousness.

A bottle of water sat on the floor next to David and Sebastian held ready to give David hydration when he woke up.

"How's he doing?" Dr. Fenton entered the room.

"I think his fever is breaking," Sebastian looked up, "He's starting to get restless."

Dr. Fenton nodded, "He's going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up."

"Anything we can give him?"

"Nothing strong enough," Dr. Fenton sighed, "I have a few Tylenol tablets that won't do much."

Sebastian picked up the damp rag he had placed next to David and dabbed the man's forehead.

"N-no…no," David whined. His eyes remained closed.

"Shhh," Sebastian ran the rag across David's face, "It's okay."

David coughed, a few splatters of blood dribbled from his mouth, "No!"

"David, it's okay. You're safe," Sebastian tried again and moved his free hand to cup David's cheek.

"Ugh," David gurgled before his body went limp again.

Dr. Fenton placed a comforting hand on Sebastian's shoulder, "He probably won't wake up for a while. You should get some rest."

"I'll stay with him, thanks," Sebastian didn't know what it was, but something kept him from being able to leave David's side.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"What's going on?" Allan yawned, poking his head out of the door to his room.

Jerry stopped in his place in the hallway, a bundle of blankets in his arms, "Anderson is alive."

"What?" Allan rubbed his eyes.

"We went back and found Anderson on the mission. He was hurt real bad, but they're trying to fix him up. I'm bringing some extra blankets in case they need 'em."

Allan frowned, "What are you talking about? I saw Anderson fall."

"Well he's alive. They're trying to patch him up," Jerry looked at Allan critically, "Karofsky's dead."

"What?"

"Anderson was conscious and talking. How could you…was he unconscious when you left him?" Jerry shifted his weight.

Allan cleared his throat, "Are you insinuating something?"

"No. I guess we'll get Anderson's side of the story when he's up to it," Jerry suggested.

"So, he'll live?" Allan asked, possibly a little too eager to know.

Jerry shrugged, "They're doing the best they can with him. Commander and his family are waiting on news."

"Well, uh, you let me know when you hear something," Allan took a step back into his room and shut the door.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The room was filled with silence. No one spoke. No one moved. Soft cries could be heard every so often when Kurt couldn't take it any longer. Tina and Mike had brought them some hot water from the kitchen mixed with some random tea they had found. No one bothered to take a drink. Rachel had fussed about the boys, offering them pillows and blankets. Santana and Brittany had tried their luck by bringing in some food. Again, no one bothered to take anything.

Somehow, Rory had heard the news and made himself present inside the room and had silently taken an empty seat next to Kurt.

"Is it true? Please? Is it true?" Rory asked, tears welling up in his eyes, "Blaine's…Blaine's alive?"

"Yeah," Kurt whispered, "He's next door."

"And he's going to be okay?"

"I –" Kurt faltered.

"We're hopeful," the Commander looked pointedly at Kurt and then to Rory.

Rory sighed, "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm so sorry."

Frowning, Kurt cleared his throat, "Why?"

"Because I…I told you he fell. I told you he was dead. I gave you his letter. He's…I mean I...it's my fault and I –" Rory sniffled.

Kurt shook his head, willing his own tears away. "No," his voice broke, "No. I'm glad you gave me his letter. You didn't know. But, he's…he's alive and he's…he's strong." Kurt didn't know who he was trying to convince more: himself or Rory.

"I'm sorry," Rory murmured, his eyes falling shut. The emotional turmoil and the terror that he had been through caught up with him as his breathing gently evened out. It didn't take long for the young man to burrow himself into Kurt's side and fall asleep with his head on the older teens shoulder.

"I can take him to a room," the Commander whispered to Kurt.

"No, he's okay," Kurt didn't want to lose the contact he had with the boy. This kid was someone Blaine had trusted. This kid obviously made an impression on Blaine and he respected that. For some reason being close to Rory felt like he was closer to Blaine.

"You sure?"

Kurt nodded, "He's fine."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

With a deep sigh and a small prayer, Carole taped the bandage into place. She motioned to Sharon for her to remove the paper paint mask from Blaine's nose and mouth.

"So?" Sharon asked nervously.

"I did the best I could," Carole removed the latex gloves she had found in the bottom of the medical supply bag, "It's not ideal, but as long as we can keep him from getting an infection, he should be okay."

"Will he be able to walk and move around properly?" Sharon smoothed back his hair.

Carole took a breath, "I don't know. The main thing is he's alive. The bones in his knee have the best chance of healing properly now. It's all going to depend on…well it's all going to depend on prayers."

"God?"

"Something like that," Carole straightened his leg a little more.

Sharon ran a hand through her hair, "Do you think God still exists?"

"We all need something to hold onto, honey, don't you think?" Carole walked into the ensuite and washed her hands.

"When will he wake up?" Sharon followed Carole and washed her own hands.

"In a little bit. The Ether has to wear off first. I can't believe there was still even Ether around. That stuff has to be old," Carole commented, "At least it worked."

Sharon nodded, "Should we go tell them?"

"Yeah," Carole straightened herself out in the mirror, "Let's go."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The creaking of the door and soft foot falls pulled everyone from their thoughts.

"So?" Burt stood up from the bed, followed by Finn and Kurt and Rory who was jostled awake.

"There there were several breaks in his bones. I had to use a few screws to pin the bones back in place. Be forewarned, when you do see the injury, you'll be able to see part of the screw protruding from the skin. That's on purpose. In about four weeks, I'll take them out," Carole explained, "We don't have very much in the way of pain medication. It looks like there are a few bottles of Oxycodone, but not much. I'll give him what he needs from that, but I'm going to try to limit them."

"I need to see him," Kurt waited for Carole to nod before rushing out of the room.

Finn watched his step brother leave before taking a step, "Mom?"

"I'm here," Carole smiled as best she could.

"How?" Burt could hardly believe that his wife was standing in front of him, "The hospital…"

Carole nodded, "The hospital was attacked. I was fortunate and was on my lunch break. I was in the sandwich shop across the street. We saw explosions and I just ran. I followed a group into a loading dock. I wanted to try and come find you guys, but by the time we thought it safe to leave, I got swept up in the military efforts. I was taken to a camp up in Canada. I wasn't given any choice. I fought them, but they wouldn't let me leave."

"So what happened?" Burt grabbed Carole's hand.

"Our camp was attacked and I ran. I just kept running. When I got to the Ambassador Bridge, I knew I was going the right way. I was surprised that it was still standing. I just…I kept going."

"I thought you were dead," Finn's lip quivered and he threw himself into his mother's arms.

Carole dropped Burt's hand and wrapped her arms around her son, stroking his back, "I love you so much, baby. I love you so much."

"Mom," Finn clung to her.

Knowing that Finn wasn't going to move any time soon, Burt wrapped his arms around both his wife and his stepson.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Gently, Kurt closed the door behind him and entered the dimly lit room. He looked around, as if he was trying to find some evidence that surgery had just taken place, but Carole and Sharon had done a good job of cleaning up. The only remainder was a few unused gauze pads and medical tape on the dresser. He spotted a bit of blood on a sheet that had been stuffed into a trash bin and had to bite down the lump in his throat.

Then he spotted Blaine's knee. It was wrapped and just looked like a normal injury until Kurt saw the screws sticking out. They were loosely wrapped in white gauze, but visible and Kurt felt his stomach lurch.

"Blaine," Kurt whispered and took a seat next to the bed. He picked up Blaine's hand and laced their fingers together.

He loved the boy in the bed. He really did, and he knew eventually he'd forgive him and they'd be happy again. But at that moment, that would have to wait.

"Unh…ghhh…"

"Blaine?" Kurt turned his full attention to the boy.

"Unn…K…K…ur…t," Blaine's eyes opened halfway.

Kurt shook his head, "Shh. You need to rest. Save your strength."

"K…urt…h-h..urts," Blaine looked up with watery eyes.

"I know sweetie. I'll go get Carole in a few minutes," Kurt caressed Blaine's forehead with soft touches, "Just stay with me for a little while longer." He knew he was being selfish, but he just wanted to see Blaine's eyes for a few more seconds.

Blaine let a tear slip down his cheek, "For…forgive…me?"

Those words broke Kurt's heart, "Sweetie, I'll go get Carole."

"Puh…please?"

"We'll talk about this when you're stronger. Just know that I do love you," Kurt tried to smile. He leaned over and pressed his lips to Blaine's forehead, "I'll be back."

Making sure Blaine couldn't see, Kurt scrubbed his eyes and shut the door to Blaine's room. Everything was happening so fast. All he knew was that a part of him still couldn't get past _Blaine and David_. No matter how hard he tried. He wanted to be able too, but he couldn't. He just needed time. He couldn't tell Blaine he forgave him just because he was hut. That wasn't fair to either one. He would forgive him one day, though. He just needed more time.

* * *

><p>AN: So sorry for the long wait. I went to NYC last week and saw Darren in H2$. Which was amazing! As a peace offering, you can read my recap here: anisalee(DOT)livejournal(DOT)com(SLASH)33150(DOT)html :) - just take out the parenthesis and the words and replace with the symbol. It's at the end of the chapter.

Anyways, next update should be next week as regularly scheduled! And new Glee next week!

Please review and rec!

Thank you all so, so, SO much for exceeding my hopes of receiving 110 reviews! YOU GUYS TOTALLY ROCK MY WORLD! Seriously! Here's hoping for 125 for this chapter! :D YOU ALL ARE AMAZING! I AM VIRTUALLY HUGGING YOU ALL!


	19. Book 2: Chapter 9

Kurt sighed as he shut the door to Blaine's room behind him. It had been a rough week since Carole had performed the improv surgery. Blaine had developed a terrible infection, a reaction to the screws that were in his knee. Carole had done the best she could with the medication available to control the infection and keep his fever done. Blaine had been in and out of it, the pain mixed with the unconventional treatment causing his body chemistry to react.

Much to Kurt's surprise, the company members rallied around Blaine. Most people stopped by to show support or to drop off whatever food or water they didn't need. A few women had found some wild flowers and weeds that looked like flowers in the back parking lot and made up a bouquet for Blaine. A few of the children had offered up old, worn out stuffed animals to Kurt to give to Blaine.

The Commander had stopped by occasionally as well. It overwhelmed Kurt to see so many people who cared about his…well, whatever it is that they were.

"Blaine asleep?"

Kurt looked up to see Carole standing in front of him.

"Yeah. He woke up for a few minutes and took a few sips of water before he passed out again," Kurt took a deep breath, "Is he getting any better?"

"He's doing better than he was," Carole answered, "Kurt, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm in way over my head. I'm doing the best I can, but…it's bad, honey."

"All over a knee injury?" Kurt frowned.

Carole reached out to take his hand, "Blaine wasn't in great shape to begin with. No one is in top health in these conditions. Pair that with the knee injury, surgery and a combination of medications that aren't entirely made for this type of thing…it's a bad situation. Infections are…they can spread very quickly and they can have very grave affects. He's stable at the moment, which is good. I'm going to go check him over if you want to come with me."

Nodding, Kurt followed Carole back into the room he had just vacated. Blaine was, luckily, still asleep.

"Blaine, sweetie," Carole's tone was sympathetic. "I need you to wake up."

"Is that necessary?" Kurt tried to keep the frustration out his voice, "He just got back to sleep."

Carole nodded, "I'm sorry. Blaine, honey?"

" 'sit? Seepin'," a grumbled voice replied.

"Blaine, I need you to wake up, okay?" Carole's voice was stern.

Blinking, Blaine's eyes opened slowly, "M'up."

"I see," Carole raised her hand to his forehead and felt for a fever, "You're not as warm as you were. That's good."

"Back to sleep now?" Blaine's eyes were already falling closed again.

"Not yet," the older woman shook her head, "I need you to answer some questions. Blaine, do you know where you are?"

Squinting, Blaine looked around and sighed, "Motel."

"Who am I?"

"He doesn't have a head injury," Kurt commented. He had watched his stepmother ask Blaine the same questions everyday and never had the nerve to question it until then.

"Infections can spread to the brain. Come on Blaine, who am I?" She explained.

"You're Carole," Blaine replied, a little more lucid.

Carole nodded, "And who's he?"

"Kurt," Blaine tried to smile at him.

"Good. I'm going to take a look at your knee and then change the bandages," she notified him, "Would you like Kurt to help you cover up while I wait outside?"

"Too tired," Blaine waved her off. Over the past week Kurt and Blaine, during his minutes of consciousness, had discovered that boxer shorts were a pain to deal with every time Blaine had to use the bathroom. So, they had chosen to forgo them for the moment until Blaine was able to move better. In Blaine's muddled mind, he didn't care if Carole saw all of him. He just wanted the pain to stop.

"Okay honey," Carole smiled down at him and folded the blanket so Blaine's knee was exposed, but everything else was covered. It took her several minutes to check everything over and change the bandages. "The good news is everything looks to be healing okay. I'd say in a few weeks the screws should be able to come out. Then Sharon and I will start you doing a physical therapy regiment."

Blaine blinked a couple of times, "Will I…stop feeling so…loopy and tired?"

"Yes. Right now, your body is just trying to make you healthy again. It's going to take some time and rest. That's what's important right now. That you rest," Carole straightened the blanket over him, "I'll leave you two alone." She quietly excused herself leaving Kurt standing next to Blaine's bed.

"Do you want some water?" Kurt asked, motioning to the cup on the night table, "I can get you another blanket if you want."

"N-no," Blaine coughed and tried to sit up. After a few minutes of struggling, he gave up.

Kurt nodded, "I should let you sleep." He turned to leave the room.

"Kurt?" Blaine held out his hand and after a few minutes of deliberation, Kurt took it and sat on the edge of the bed. "I want to…talk about –"

"I thought you were tired," Kurt tried to silence him. "You need to rest."

Blaine groaned, "I'm up now." With as much strength as he could muster, he managed to successfully push himself into a sitting position.

"Blaine –"

"Please?" He took a deep breath and exhaled, "I asked you a question. To forgive me."

Squeezing Blaine's hand, Kurt nodded, "I know."

"Do you?"

"Blaine," Kurt sighed deeply, "I love you."

"But you…don't forgive me." Blaine pulled his hand out of Kurt's grasp.

Kurt went to reach for Blaine's hand back, but to no avail, "Right now that's irrelevant. We need to focus on getting you back on your feet."

"Right," Blaine whispered and swallowed hard, trying to choke down his tears. He allowed Kurt to take his hand again.

"Tell me what happened out there," Kurt asked softly, "Tell me how this happened."

Blaine shook his head, "I can't."

"Why not?" Kurt prodded gently.

"Please, Kurt? Just…let it go," Blaine leaned back until he was lying down in the bed, "I'm tired."

Kurt sighed again, "Okay. Get some rest."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Thank you," David murmured, taking a sip of the water he had been handed.

Sebastian shrugged, "I'm just glad to see you awake."

"Even though it hurts like a motherfucker," David moaned, "Four bullet wounds."

"You're lucky they didn't hit any major arteries. Those things may have fucking ammo, but their shot is shit. Anyways, Dr. Fenton left some Tylenol pills with me, but not many. I can give you one if you want," Sebastian suggested.

David nodded and held out his hand to Sebastian. He produced a white tablet and David eagerly swallowed it.

"Can I ask you a question?"

David nodded.

"Is Blaine your boyfriend?" Sebastian blurted out much to David's surprise. The former football player started to cough violently.

"Is he my…" David swallowed, "No."

"Oh," Sebastian nodded, "You called for him when we found you."

David cleared his throat, "Why did you just assume he was my boyfriend? What if he was my brother or something?" David sat back, hoping it wasn't completely obvious about who he was and that he liked…men.

"You're right. I guess, I shouldn't have assumed anything," Sebastian smiled apologetically.

"I need to get back to my company," David stated as if he didn't hear the other man.

Sebastian tried to hide a flinch. "I don't think Dr. Fenton will allow that."

"I have a baby on the way," David twisted his fingers into the blanket underneath him, "I'm going to be a dad. I need…I need to be there."

"A baby?" Sebastian frowned, "Like a child?"

David nodded and groaned as the movement shot pain through his body. "Yeah. I'm going to be a…a dad."

"David, you need to rest a while longer. Shit, man you were attacked by _those_ things. You were fucking shot!" Sebastian sent him a pointed look. "Just rest a while longer and I'll take you there, okay? I just…you need to heal. You're in pain."

"Yeah," David agreed.

"Look, just give it a couple more days and we'll go. It's dangerous out there and you need to rest."

David sighed and nodded, "Okay." He was too tired and in too much pain to argue.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Cautiously, Burt entered Blaine's room, balancing a plate in one hand.

"Hey," Burt lowered his voice.

"Hey dad," Kurt sat up and stretched, careful not to disturb a sleeping Blaine.

"I brought you some food," Burt held out the plate filled with canned meat product and vegetables. "The girls in the cafeteria found a box of Spam in the storage room."

Kurt looked at the food for a second before setting the plate down on the night table.

"I know you don't like the stuff, but it's what we have. Anyways, how you doing kiddo?" Burt's voice was full of concern.

"This week has been rough," Kurt admitted. If he had learned anything in this new world, it was that he could really rely on the people who cared about him and that he really did need his father.

Burt nodded, "One day at a time."

"Right," Kurt sighed and motioned for Burt to follow him into the hallway. "He wants me to forgive him."

"For sleeping with someone else," Burt added.

Kurt nodded, "And I just…I don't know I'm ready to. I want to, dad. I just…I keep seeing him and the _other person_ in my mind over and over again. And it's like this horrible picture that won't go away."

"I'm sorry, son," Burt rested a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "I think you just need to decide. If you want Blaine, then you need to forgive him. If you don't, then end it all. It's not fair to you or him to keep going like this, you know?"

"You're right," Kurt sighed, "I guess I just didn't want to deal with it."

"You'll make the right choice. Whatever it is," Burt squeezed Kurt's shoulder. "You should go eat your dinner."

"I will," Kurt nodded, "I think I just need to go for a walk. Think about things."

"Stay inside or close to the motel. If you go outside, bring a weapon," Burt warned.

Kurt half smiled at his father's concern that was only born out of love for his son, "Love you too, dad."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Perimeter duty had been boring, but it was necessary. Finn knew this and he was proud to serve in the Insurgence. It made him feel needed and useful to the company.

"Anything happen?" Rachel asked from her spot on the bed in their shared room.

Finn shrugged, "Same old."

"I spoke to your mom today," Rachel stood up and crossed the room to her boyfriend, "She said Blaine is doing better. His fever is not as bad as it was."

"That's good," Finn set his gun down on the desk.

"I was going to go check in on him if you wanted to come," Rachel suggested.

Finn nodded, "Yeah. Maybe Kurt could use a break or something. Quinn said he hasn't slept in their room since Blaine came back."

"He loves Blaine," Rachel added.

"Yeah, but it was still a really shitty thing that Blaine did to him," Finn scowled, "I'm glad the guy's getting better. But he hurt my brother."

Rachel took Finn's hand into hers, "I love that you love Kurt and worry about his well being."

"He's been through enough crap in his life. Including getting shit from me," Finn hadn't yet forgiven himself for all the things he did to Kurt in high school.

"Do you think they'll get back together?"

"If they do, he better treat Kurt right," Finn answered, "I –"

Rachel shook her head, "You'll do nothing Finn Hudson. Blaine Warbler is in love with Kurt. Yes, what he did was…_shitty_ as you say, but they love each other."

"His last name's Anderson," Finn replied, "Right?"

"Finn, I love you," Rachel chuckled, "Now let's go see Blaine."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Allan Ryans carefully entered the Commander's room, after getting the all clear to come in. He knew he had to do something. If Anderson talked…well that couldn't happen.

"You wanted to see me Ryans," the Commander set down the paper he was holding.

Allan nodded, "I wanted to talk to you about Anderson, sir."

"Was there a change in his condition? I talked to Carole and she said he was doing better," the Commander turned his full attention to the man in front of him.

"No, I mean I'm not here about that," Allan shook his head, "I wanted to talk to you about what happened when we were on the mission."

The commander nodded, "You've got my attention."

"Well, sir…Anderson wasn't exactly the hero that I made him out to be when I thought he had died," Allan paused.

"What do you mean?"

Allan inhaled, "He threatened to desert. He…he turned his gun on me and told me to give him the keys to one of the cars and my gun or he'd kill me. He went crazy and I didn't know what to do. I had the men to think about…so I took out his knee. I caused his injury, but only to keep the rest of the men safe. I know I probably shouldn't have left him there, but I didn't know what else to do. I was afraid he'd take out me and the rest of the men."

"Does anyone else know what happened?" The Commander asked in concern.

"No, sir," Allan stated, "I didn't want to tarnish their opinion of him."

The Commander sighed, "And you swear this is true."

"Yes," Allan nodded, "I just…he's so young and maybe he just couldn't handle the responsibilities."

"He was a great fighter. He was smart and had great instincts. I'll talk to him and get his side of the story before I make any decisions, but maybe you're right. Maybe he was too young to take on such a high ranking," the Commander shook his head, "Such a shame."

"I agree," Allan tried not to smile at his work.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt had walked around the entire perimeter of the motel. He had briefly stopped to give Mike an update on Blaine before heading back inside. Drew had given Kurt his best to give to Blaine. The teen had made a note of how many men and women had told him to pass on their well wishes to Blaine and smiled. People here really did care about Blaine. It gave him some sense that Blaine would be alright regardless of the decision he made. And in the time he was outside, he did make a decision. It wasn't easy and he had weighed all sides.

He knew for sure that he loved Blaine. That wasn't the problem. Love was never the problem. The issue, the one thing Kurt had so much trouble getting past, was trust. Could he trust Blaine again? How could he trust Blaine again when all he saw was Blaine and David together? In bed? It made him physically ill.

Then again, could he really live his life without Blaine being that one person in the world that was meant for him? Could he really live knowing that he loved Blaine just as much as he always had but not being able to be with him?

He knew his answer and surprisingly he was at peace with the decision.

Kurt walked down the hallway and knew that his decision was the best for himself and Blaine. His dad was right; he couldn't keep living like that. It wasn't fair to anyone to keep this going. He knew he couldn't keep walking around with this thing wearing him down.

Already, he felt lighter and he hadn't even spoken to Blaine yet. To him, that was the indication that no matter what, things would be okay.

"Kurt!" Rachel smiled as her and Finn exited Blaine's room.

"Hey guys," Kurt smiled back.

"How're you doing?" She asked pulling him into an embrace.

Kurt nodded, "I'm okay. I think I'm going to be okay."

"That's good, bro," Finn also pulled Kurt into a hug. "I'm here if you want to talk or, you know, whatever."

"Thanks," Kurt chuckled as Finn held him a little tighter, "Finn, you're kind of…I kind of can't breathe."

"Oh yeah!" Finn released him immediately, "Sorry, dude."

Kurt shook his head, "I told you –"

"Not to call you _dude_," Finn laughed, "Sorry, du-Kurt."

Shaking his head, Kurt waved to the two of them and walked into Blaine's room. He spotted Blaine sitting up in bed, attempting to eat something that Rachel and Finn brought.

"Hey," Kurt slipped into the room and shut the door behind him.

Blaine looked up, "Hey. You don't happen to have anything to make this taste better do you?" He looked down at his plate.

"Sorry," Kurt shrugged with a smile, "You can eat some of mine if you want." He looked over to the plate he had left in the room.

"What is this?" Blaine took a slow bite.

"Spam," Kurt laughed.

Blaine frowned, "What's Spam?"

"You're kidding, right?" Kurt giggled before he realized Blaine was serious. "Spam? It's a meat product. I think it's some type of pork and it has a long shelf life."

"Never had it," Blaine shoveled another piece into his mouth.

Kurt nodded, "After…after my mom died, my dad couldn't cook anything so he used to buy things that were easy to make. I always hated the stuff. My dad liked it, but then again he used to eat food made in gas stations."

"Sounds like Burt," Blaine set the plate aside.

"Blaine, I wanted to talk to you about what you asked me earlier," Kurt started, "You asked me to forgive you."

Blaine sighed, "I understand, Kurt. I…I was hoping that we could get past this, but I know I shouldn't have...I shouldn't have given up on us."

"Blaine," Kurt held up his hand to silence the other man, "You hurt me and you should have told me the truth, but I can't…can't condemn you for what you did. I want to forgive you and I will forgive you." He noticed Blaine's eyes light up and shook his head, "I'm not finished. We can't be together right now. Let's…can we start over as friends and see where it goes? I need to be able to trust you and you need to be able to heal and get better. I will be here with you every step of the way, but as a friend. When the time comes and we're both ready, maybe we can try to be together again. How does that sound?" Kurt finished, waiting for Blaine's reaction.

"I think…if that's all we can be..." Blaine stopped to collect his thoughts, "If I can only be your friend right now, than that's what I'll be."

Kurt smiled. It was a start.

* * *

><p>AN: So sorry for the delay! (Is anyone still reading this? Heh) We had to put down my cat of 6 years last week :( But I'm back! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

Also, if I got a tumblr to post fic snippets and stuff would you follow it?

Reviews always welcome and wanted! I've read every single one of them and I appreciate them all so much! :)


	20. Book 2: Chapter 10

Carole stood awkwardly in the doorway of the Commander's office. He had come to her during breakfast and asked to speak to her privately when the meal was over. She and Burt shared a look before she nodded in agreement.

First, Carole made a stop by Blaine's room and smiled at Kurt who was sound asleep in the chair next to Blaine's bed. Blaine, on the other hand, was wide awake watching the other man. She silently smiled at him and approached the bed.

After carefully checking Blaine's vitals, she made sure Sharon had redressed the wound properly. When she was satisfied, she had kissed Blaine's cheek, pressed her lips to Kurt's forehead and left as quietly as she had come.

"Carole, thank you for meeting with me," the Commander addressed the woman in front of him.

Nodding, Carole stepped further into the room, "I'm not sure why you wanted to see me."

"I wanted to see how Blaine was doing," the Commander stood up and closed the door behind Carole. "When do you think he'll be mobile again?"

"I plan on taking the screws out of his knee in about four weeks. After that, Sharon and I will start him on a physical therapy plan. I'd say he's got at least two to three months before he's able to walk," she stated.

"And his mental state?"

Carole flinched for a second, "I...I don't think that's something I should be discussing with you. Patient confidentiality. Besides, I'm not a psychiatrist or psychologist, so I can't properly diagnose or make any comments on his mental state."

"Carole, I really need your help. Do you think it's possible for someone to crack under stress so much that they would try to physically harm someone?"

"I don't quite know what you're asking," Carole's brows knitted together in confusion.

The Commander cleared his throat, "Do you think it's possible that Blaine could've suffered a mental break so severe while out on the mission that it would cause him to try and hurt the rest of the men?"

"I honestly…it's possible for someone to succumb to the pressure and lash out. As far as Blaine goes, I…I don't know."

"I've had reports that Blaine turned violent on the other men when they were out on the mission," the Commander revealed.

Carole shook her head, "I don't think…I've known Blaine for a long time. I just…I can't see him doing something like that, especially with Kurt back here."

"Has he said anything to you or Kurt about what happened?"

"No," Carole sighed, "But we haven't been pushing him for information either. Right now my priority is to get him on the road to recovery."

The Commander nodded, "I want to talk to him."

"I don't think –"

"It's important," the Commander interrupted her, "I need to get this sorted out as soon as possible."

"Okay," Carole conceded, "But if I see him starting to get too upset, I'm going to ask you to stop."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine sat watching Kurt sleep. He hadn't been able to do that in a while. After the incident, Carole kept him pretty comfortable with a mix of pain medication and whatever antibiotics and medications she could scrounge together.

Now, he felt clear headed and the pain wasn't as horrible as it had been, or maybe he was just getting used to it. Either way, he felt okay. Not great. Not horrible. But okay.

His hand itched to run through brown hair. Kurt hadn't styled it in a few days. In fact the boy barely left the room – only to grab a change of clothes or some food.

Blaine missed him. Sure, Kurt was by his side, but he missed the intimacy they once shared and not just the sex. He missed holding Kurt's hand. He missed being able to kiss Kurt whenever he wanted. He missed the way Kurt would look at him. Most of all, he missed Kurt, his lover. He wanted that Kurt back. He wanted to have that love and trust back.

"Mmm," Kurt stirred, "What're you looking at?"

"Nothing," Blaine smiled back as Kurt tried to cross from adorable sleepiness to fully conscious.

Kurt sat up straighter and rubbed his eyes, "You okay? Do you need anything?"

"No," Blaine's voice was light.

"You should be resting."

"I am. I have been. I just want to be up for a bit," Blaine shifted, trying to scoot himself into a better sitting position.

Kurt nodded, "I can leave you alone if you want."

Reaching out, Blaine's hand ghosted over Kurt's before falling against the blankets, "You don't have to."

"Okay," Kurt settled back into his chair, "Did you know Tina went into town with some of the men a few days ago to try and find a wedding dress?"

Blaine frowned, "Where would she find one of those?"

"Apparently there's one clothing store in town. I don't know. She found a white maternity dress that had a few dirt spots. She wants me to help her make it into something wearable," Kurt waved his hand in a dismissing motion.

"I'm sure it'll be brilliant," Blaine winked at him, "And Mike will love whatever she wears because he gets to marry her."

Kurt nodded, "Yeah."

"Yeah," Blaine agreed.

The two let a few minutes of silence pass.

"Kurt?" Blaine started, "Do you…do you think…I know what you said. I just…I'm still in love with you."

"I know," Kurt sighed, "I love you too."

Blaine didn't hesitate this time, as he reached out to take Kurt's hand. "Then why can't we be together? I've apologized. I'll apologize a million times if I need too."

"It's not that simple," Kurt replied, "Please, Blaine, just give me time."

"No, I can't just…we belong together!" Blaine exclaimed, "You know it. We belong together!" Without realizing it, Blaine's hand curled tighter around Kurt's.

"Blaine," Kurt tried to pull his hand away, "You're hurting me."

Immediately, Blaine dropped Kurt's hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Kurt. I'm so sorry," his voice was nothing but a whisper.

"It's okay," Kurt assured him, his voice equally as soft, "I do love you, Blaine. I'm _in_ love with you. I just need some time, alright?" Kurt brought his hand up to Blaine's cheek and ran his thumb over a solid cheekbone. But before Blaine had a chance to reply, the door slammed open to reveal a stunned looking Carole and a concerned Commander.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The Commander followed Carole down the hallway. They were almost to Blaine's door when they heard a startled voice filter through the door.

_Blaine, you're hurting me. _

Carole and the Commander shared a worried look before the Commander twisted open the doorknob and practically threw the door open. Two pairs of shocked eyes greeted them, with mouths half open in a surprised "O" shape.

Without thinking, the Commander reached forward and grabbed Kurt's shoulder, pulling him out of his chair and pushing him towards Carole.

"Are you hurt, sweetie?" Carole asked in motherly concern, her hands already flying to his face as she searched his eyes.

"I'm fine," Kurt stepped back from her grasp, "I'm fine. What's going on?"

The Commander shot Kurt a skeptical look, "I need to _discuss_ some things with Blaine."

"Come on, honey. Let's –" Carole started to drag Kurt towards the door.

"No!" Kurt shook his head, "What's this about?"

"Fine," the Commander gave up, "Blaine, I need you to tell me the truth about what happened on the mission. Specifically, how you got your injury."

Blaine blinked in surprise before vehemently shaking his head, "I can't."

"I need you to tell me what happened," the Commander tried again, "It's in your best interest to tell me the truth."

"Please," Blaine looked to Kurt for help.

"Maybe now is not –" Kurt tried to interject.

The Commander held up his hand, "Blaine, if you don't tell me your side, I'm going to have to take the information I was given as fact."

"Wh-what were you told?" Blaine sat up a little straighter, trying not to look as vulnerable as he felt.

"I was told that you threatened to attack some of the men on the mission. I was also told that the injury you received was inflicted out of self defense," the Commander sat down in the seat Kurt vacated.

Blaine shook his head, "That's not…that's not what happened. That's not how it happened."

"Then tell me," the Commander's voice was more sympathetic.

Kurt and Carole watched as Blaine turned his head away from the man and closed his eyes, trying to block out what was going on.

"Blaine," Kurt gathered his nerve and approached the other man. Sitting down on the bed, he raised his hand and combed his fingers through dark curls. "Tell me what happened at the CDC."

"It…" Blaine's voice was barely audible, "The CDC was…there were…there were so many dead bodies. Everyone had the same idea, you know? I think they all fled to the CDC. They were sitting ducks. Just sitting ducks and… there were kids and babies and…it was awful."

Kurt inhaled sharply and he could feel both Carole and the Commander's eyes on him and Blaine. "What else?" He managed to choke out.

"It was a mistake. We shouldn't have gone. They just…they just came out of nowhere," Blaine closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Everything just happened so fast. It's like…it's like I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was to get the men to safety. And I'm sorry Kurt. I'm so sorry that I should've…you should've been the first person on my mind."

"Blaine, you had a job to do. You were responsible for those men. Don't ever apologize for wanting to protect and keep other people safe. I was here. I was fine. I am fine."

"I just…and then things…" Blaine paused, "Things got out of control. He called me a…a faggot. I was going to die. I just…I knew I was going to die. It hurt so badly and I was going to die. I could taste the dirt and grass in my mouth. And I remember thinking that I wished things were different. I wished that I was back here just so I could see your face again."

Kurt sucked in a breath when Blaine's tear filled eyes met his. "Who did this to you?" Kurt gently prodded, "Tell me."

"I –" Blaine stopped and shook his head.

"Sweetie, I know that you must be terrified. You've had a rough couple of weeks, but it will help if you talk about it. We're all right here," Carole promised.

The teen shook his head, while his hand wandered out and grabbed Kurt's into a vice grip. "So much happened. David, he…he died for me. He just…he ran out there and I watched him die. He said…he said he had fallen in love with me. I just… he's got a baby on the way! He died out there on that fucking, goddamned road so I could live! Why would he do that? Why would he do that Kurt?" Blaine wanted Kurt to have some sort of answer. Something that would make everything okay.

"Because," Kurt cleared his throat, knowing he had to be strong, "Because of love. David loved you, maybe the same way I do because I know I'd have done the same thing. You would have done the same thing for me."

"But I wouldn't have done that for him," Blaine argued, "I cared about him. He was…he was there for me when I just…and so yeah, I think I did love him in some way. But I don't think I would have done what he did knowing that you were back here."

Kurt swallowed back his own tears and wiped away a few stray one's that had trickled down Blaine's cheeks. "He knew that. I'm sure he knew that. He did it because _he_ loved you. Not because you loved him. Believe it or not, it's not hard to fall in love with you," Kurt tried to smile.

More silence passed as Blaine tried to collect himself and Kurt offered silent support. Carole quietly slipped from the doorway to the Commander's side watching the pair. It was heartbreaking and Carole wished with her whole being that the boys didn't have to face this. They were still teenagers who shouldn't ever have found themselves in this place. They deserved so much more than that. All the kids who had survived the attacks did – and that's what they were. Kids. Even her son. Her son who was well over six foot and was nineteen.

"Please, Blaine," Kurt spoke softly, as if soothing a scared animal.

Blaine inhaled a few more times and shifted his eyes to the blanket covering his lap, "Allan."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The car hummed to life in the garage. The sound reverberated off of cement walls and seemed to make the room hum. It was comforting. Grounding.

"Umm, Mr. Hummel, sir?"

Burt shut off the engine and turned to face the visitor. A small boy with brown hair and piercing blue eyes stood before him. The kid was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. "What can I do for you, kid?"

"My name's Rory, sir" Rory timidly told him.

"I know who you are. What can I help you with, Rory?"

"I wanted… I was wondering if you….I –" Rory stuttered.

Burt smirked, "Well, spit it out."

"Y-yes. Sorry, sir. I was wondering if you needed help. Here in the garage, sir."

"I thought you were in the Insurgence?" Burt asked.

"I-I was, sir. They found out how old I was and Commander told me I-I couldn't serve until I turned sixteen," Rory tried not to look Burt in the eyes.

Burt sighed, "How old are you?"

"F-fifteen," Rory stammered.

"How old are you?" Burt asked again, knowing full well that Rory was lying. "I have a teenage son and a teenage stepson. I know why I'm being taken for a ride."

Rory nodded, "Fourteen, sir."

"Hmm," Burt nodded, "You good with a wrench?"

"Oh yes, sir!" Rory nodded vigorously.

Burt made a satisfied noise, "Okay. First things first, cut the _sir_ crap. Just call me Burt."

"Yes si-Burt," Rory replied in excitement.

"Second, you can start tomorrow morning. I want to rotate the tires on all the cars you guys took on that mission," Burt stated.

"Of course," Rory smiled, "Thank you."

"Don't need to thank me. Just do a good job," Burt patted the kid on the shoulder. "Now, how about you and I go grab some food and I'll fill you in on what it takes to be a good mechanic."

Rory nodded. "Burt? I was just wondering if you knew how Blaine was doing?" He changed the subject as they made the short walk from the garage to the cafeteria.

"I saw him earlier this morning before breakfast. He's getting better," Burt relayed.

"Do you think it'd be okay if I went to see him?" Rory asked as if he were afraid of the answer.

Burt shrugged, "I don't see why not. We can stop by his room right now if you want."

"He's okay, though, right? I mean he's awake and he looks okay?" Rory's tone was tinged with fear. "You don't think he's going to care if I see him?"

"He looks just like he did and I think he'd probably like some visitors. He's stuck in that bed all day that it'll probably do him some good to see new faces," Burt shrugged, changing his path and leading the teen through the lobby and down the hallway towards Blaine's room.

Quietly, Burt opened the door to see his wife sitting next to Blaine on the bed, while his son was on the other side with Blaine's head buried in his shoulder. The Commander was standing steel faced in the corner taking in the scene.

"What's going on?"

Blaine flinched in Kurt's arms.

"Blaine's had a hard day," Carole's voice was soothing and she stroked a hand up and down his back. "He told us what happened on the mission."

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go speak to someone," the Commander curtly excused himself.

Rory cleared his throat and took a step into the room. "Blaine?"

Cautiously, Blaine lifted his head and spotted Rory.

"I'm sorry," Rory surprised everyone, "I'm so sorry. I just went along with them and I –"

Blaine shook his head, "You did the right thing, Rory. You got yourself to safety."

"I…I'm just glad you're okay," Rory took a tentative step forward.

"You can come in," Blaine half smiled, trying to rub away the red in his eyes. "I think it's time you two were properly introduced. Rory, this is Kurt. Kurt this is Rory."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, "Why don't we let you two have some time?" He motioned for Carole and Burt to follow him out of the room. "I'll be back to check on you a little later."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

A loud crash and chuckling provided a soundtrack in the room. Dr. Fenton rolled his eyes as he finished cleaning up his supplies and left the room.

"I told you not to do it," David laughed.

Sebastian tried to huff indignantly before caving into a smile, "It was working."

"No it wasn't. If I have learned anything about you these past few weeks it's that you're a bit of a klutz," David continued to chuckle before grimacing at his wounds being pulled.

"You alright?" Sebastian immediately sobered up.

David nodded, "Yeah. I'm just sore."

"It's expected," Sebastian agreed, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to clean this up."

"That's what you get for trying to be Mr. Big Man and balance the bowls and cups in one arm," David joked.

Sebastian stood up from sweeping the debris with pieces of broken dishes. "I was trying to bring you food. And Mr. Big Man? Really?" He snarked in mock offense, "I am a strong man. I saved your ass out there didn't I?"

"Are you implying that I'm husky?" David tried to appear outraged.

"A dog is husky. You, my dear, are a bear!" Sebastian chuckled and moved around to the side of the bed.

David's hand shot out and grabbed Sebastian's wrist, "A bear? Well, you know what a bear does?"

"What're you going to do big boy?" Sebastian taunted.

"This," David took the other man by surprise and Sebastian suddenly found himself on top of David on the bed. Sebastian used his arms to keep his weight off of David as not to hurt him any further.

"Burly bear," Sebastian smiled, squirming to right himself.

David smirked, "I was a football player. Don't mess with me." He griped Sebastian's forearms to keep the smaller man from moving.

"Oooo," Sebastian laughed.

"Yeah, you should be scared."

"Oh really?" Sebastian shot back.

"Really," David agreed.

Then it happened. Neither man had meant for it to occur, but were powerless to stop it. David's head lifted up just enough and Sebastian's lips lowered just enough to meet David's. It was over just as soon as it started, leaving them both taken aback.

Unable to meet Sebastian's eyes, David turned is head slightly. His cheeks tinged pink.

"Umm, well…I should…should clean that up," Sebastian started to get up. David's arms immediately went slack and let him go.

"Yeah, I should get some rest," David stated softly. He snuck a glance at Sebastian, his lips still tingling from where they met the other man's.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"I'm glad you're getting better," Rory sat down awkwardly in the chair next to Blaine's bed.

"Thanks," Blaine nodded. "How are you doing?"

Rory shrugged, "Commander asked me to step down from the Insurgence."

"Sorry," Blaine didn't mean it. He was glad to have the kid away from the violence and the horrors that Insurgence members saw. "Now that you have time, you might want to join Santana and Brittany with the rest of the kids."

"I already asked Mr. Hummel if I could work in the garage with him."

Blaine smiled, "Good. Burt's a good man. You'll learn a lot from him."

"He seems like a good father. A great father. Kind of reminds me of my dad," Rory mentioned.

"Rory, what happened to your family?" Blaine tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

Taking a deep breath, the boy turned his full attention to Blaine, "My dad…we were on our way to Westerville when the attacks happened."

"From where?"

"California. We lived in San Diego. My dad grew up in Westerville and as soon as he turned eighteen, he moved and went to college at UCLA. He hadn't spoken to his family in years. My mom's the one who convinced him we should go back. Meet his family. So, he packed up our car and we just started driving," Rory explained. "My dad and my mom were going to get married. My dad wanted his brother to be there."

Blaine nodded.

"My dad gave me this before we started driving," Rory swiped his eyes and pulled out a crinkled photo from his pocket. "This is my dad and his brother."

Ice cold coursed through Blaine's veins and he struggled to breath for a second. "Was your dad's name Cooper?"

"Yeah. How did you know?" Rory looked at Blaine in confusion.

Blaine shook his head. It wasn't possible. This had to be a fantasy. Maybe he was dreaming. Life didn't just work out like that.

"Are you alright?" Rory stood up, not knowing what to do for the man who looked n the verge of a panic attack.

"Your dad's name was Cooper Anderson?" Blaine's breathing had become shallow.

Rory chuckled, "Yeah. He got a lot of crap for it from his friends. How did you know that?"

"Rory… I think your dad…no, I know that your dad was my…brother."

* * *

><p>AN: So, this was supposed to be the last chapter in this book, but obviously it's not going to be. :) Hopefully you enjoy this chapter! Please let me know what you think!

Also, I got a lot of requests to write a gap-filler for the Burt tells Blaine scene for episode 3X11. I am writing that and hopefully it'll be up by the end of the week. :)

Thank you so much for all your reviews!


	21. Book 2: Chapter 11

Sebastian wandered through the empty corridors of the office building. He couldn't sleep and he couldn't stand to sit still. He just had to move. So, he went from room to room making up stories about the men who used to work in the offices.

Door 102 belonged to Cameron Mitchell. He was a 43 year old divorced man. His wife had caught him and his 18 year old secretary fucking against a wall. Her skirt half ridden up and his pants pooled around his ankles.

Door 104 belonged to Andrew Thomas. He was 24 years old. He had graduated from college two years prior and worked as an intern before being hired. He had a girlfriend whom he loved since they were high school freshmen.

Door 106 was Amy Johnsons' office. She was a mother of two and pregnant with a third. She and her husband had been married for seven years.

That's as far he got before his thoughts went back to the man lying in room 115. It had been almost a day since they had…kissed. It was hard for Sebastian to even think that. He was Sebastian Smythe for fuck's sake. He was a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy. He was freshly 18 years of age and had prided himself on never having a boyfriend. Before any of the shit with _them_ and _their_ coming to Earth, he enjoyed a "fuck and duck" (as he had deemed it). Meaning he'd fuck a guy and duck out. Why waste the time getting to know someone when you could get to_ know_ them?

Of course, he had kissed men before and done so much more with them too. Probably more than he could count. He had his first fake ID when he was 14 and got into some of the hottest gay clubs in Los Angeles based on his looks and his ass. Yet, there was something different about kissing David. Something incredibly intimate that left him feeling more vulnerable than he had ever felt in his life. It was scary and that was saying something. In his former life, Sebastian Smythe didn't do scared. Sebastian Smythe was the guy every man wanted to have in their bed. But that was over now and in a way, Sebastian was thankful for that. He wanted to be more than the twink who had an amazingly tight ass. He wanted to just be more. No expectations and no preconceived notions. He just wanted to be Sebastian Smythe, an 18 year old kid who was just trying to figure out what the hell he was doing.

He was grateful that most of the men that had traveled from Los Angeles to Tennessee with him didn't know who he was in his other life. They just knew him as _the kid_ who fought hard. There weren't any expectations of what he was supposed to do or who he was supposed to be. He liked that. He didn't have to pretend or put on a front. He could just be.

Sighing, he turned and shoved his hands into his pockets, starting the trudge back to David's room. He hurried his steps when a loud creak echoed around the hallway. It was probably one of the men – there were ten of them – but it still freaked him out a little. To top it off, he had left his gun in David's room. Rule number one was never to be caught without a weapon and he had broken it.

When he got to the door 115, he hesitantly pushed it open. Inside, he spotted David breathing hard as Dr. Fenton cleansed his wounds.

"I'll come back," Sebastian muttered.

"No," Dr. Fenton spoke up, "Come help and distract David."

Sebastian nodded and walked the few steps to David's side, not really knowing what he was supposed to do. "You okay?"

"Just stings like a bitch," David groaned. "I think he got gasoline instead of antiseptic."

Dr. Fenton snorted, "Almost done."

"You said that five minutes ago," David whined.

"And we were almost done then too," Dr. Fenton chuckled.

Sebastian smiled at David, "You can do it. It's just a little stinging."

"Sadomasochists, both of you!" David grumbled.

They all settled down into a relative silence, except for an occasional grunt or grimace from David. Sebastian tried to stay out of the way, but offered a smile or two when David looked at him.

"There. All set," Dr. Fenton smiled, standing up. "Your injuries are properly dressed and cleaned. I'll be back in a while to check on you."

David half smiled, "Thanks Doc."

"Take it easy, David," Dr. Fenton nodded and left the room.

"So…" David turned to face Sebastian, "I haven't seen you since yesterday."

Sebastian nodded and wrung his hands together, "Yeah. I had some stuff to take care of."

"Right," David nodded.

"I really did," Sebastian caught David's eye, "The group wants to head out. Try to head north maybe."

"The group?"

"Yeah."

David shifted, trying to sit up in a comfortable position, "Tell me about _the group_."

"Nothing much to tell," Sebastian shrugged, "The group's originally from Los Angeles. Some of the men we've picked up along the way."

"Where did you join?" David wondered.

"Los Angeles."

David nodded, "You go to college out there or something?"

"Or something," Sebastian chuckled bitterly, "I was a sophomore in high school when it happened."

"How old are you?"

"Just turned eighteen a few months ago. Dr. Fenton has a paper calendar he found, so we always know the date," Sebastian noticed David's confused look.

"Oh. We just kind of guess at dates," David commented.

Sebastian cleared his throat, "It doesn't matter really, though. Knowing the dates and months."

"Maybe. Maybe not," David watched the boy in front of him, "But for what it's worth, happy belated birthday."

"Thanks," Sebastian breathed, "Well now you know the cliff notes version of the Sebastian Smythe story, give me yours."

David shrugged, "Not much to tell. I'm twenty and I was a senior in high school in Lima, Ohio when it happened."

"Last name?" Sebastian smiled.

"Karofsky."

"Well, David Karofsky from Lima, Ohio, I think I should let you get some rest," Sebastian shifted awkwardly. "I'll talk to the guys about taking you back to your…Blaine."

David reached for Sebastian's hand without thinking, "I'm okay here for now."

"Umm," Sebastian was at a loss for words, "I should probably go."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" David asked softly.

Sebastian stopped and sat completely still, "I'm not."

"You are," David argued, "Can we just…talk about what happened?"

"We kissed," Sebastian couldn't meet David's eyes.

"Yeah," David felt a blush tainting his cheeks. Sometimes, it still was difficult for him to think about or act upon his natural sexual urges. He had fought against being gay for so long that it was like second nature to him. There were times when he was okay, more than okay with being gay. The times he was with Blaine were times when he felt most at ease with himself and the world. Maybe it was because it was Blaine, or maybe it was just because he allowed himself to be open with another man. Either way, he wasn't sure, but he did know that Sebastian did something to him that Blaine never did. He didn't know what he was feeling; all he knew was that he wanted to spend time with Sebastian.

"It should have never happened. You're recovering and you just went through a terrible thing…we've only known each other for two weeks. It just…it shouldn't have happened," Sebastian still couldn't look David in the eyes.

David sighed, "Was it…was that your first kiss?"

"What?" Sebastian looked up incredulously, "No! God no! I'm Sebastian Smythe. When I lived in LA everyone who mattered knew me. I've made out with some of LA's finest power gays. Look, I'll catch you later." Sebastian hurried from the room.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Who to believe? What to believe? The Commander sighed. Days like today made him wish that he wasn't the Commander, but just simply Joe from Toledo.

Blaine was a nice kid. He couldn't picture the boy suddenly turning on men. The same men he had worked so hard to protect and keep safe. It didn't make sense, but then again Joe knew it could happen. During his time in the service, Joe had witnessed men cracking under pressure so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Blaine hadn't even wanted to go on that mission in the first place, so maybe going had put him over the edge.

Then there was Allan who genuinely seemed concerned. Allan was a bit older than Blaine. He had more life experience. He was a good fighter. He was a man that the Commander had come to trust over the months. He couldn't imagine that man purposely harming another Insurgence member and leaving them for dead.

None of it made sense.

Swallowing hard, the Commander sat down on the chair in his office. The facts were Blaine was hurt and Allan was the last one to see him before he sustained his injury. No one would ever know for sure what transpired in those few minutes, but it was the Commander's job to try and piece together a story.

"Can I come in?"

A voice startled him and his eyes immediately went to the doorframe. "Burt, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to talk about Blaine."

"Right. It's a tough situation," the Commander sighed.

"Carole told me what he said about how he got hurt. The boy's not lying," Burt shoved his hands into his pockets.

The Commander nodded, "You got to understand, I have two very different stories from two men whom I trust."

"I know, but Blaine's a good kid. He wouldn't lie. Not about something that important. I've known him a long time. He ain't lying," Burt stated.

"I want to believe him, but I have to take everything into consideration."

Burt shuffled a bit closer, "You know Blaine's telling the truth. Me and you both know that."

"It's not that simple, Burt. I have to think of the good of the company. I have to think of what's good for both Blaine and the other person," the Commander said diplomatically.

"So what're you going to do?"

The Commander sighed, "I don't know."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"How you holding up?"

Kurt tried to smile at Rachel as he took a bite of whatever it was the ladies had prepared for lunch. "Okay, I guess."

"Have you seen Blaine?" Tina asked.

"No," Kurt shook his head, "I went to go check on him before I went to bed last night and Rory was still in there with him. I didn't want to bother them."

"So that's why you came back to the room," Quinn commented, "I felt you climb into bed."

"Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't," Quinn patted his shoulder, "Did you sleep okay?"

Kurt nodded, "It was a nice change from the chair in Blaine's room."

"Speaking of which, why hasn't Blaine moved back to his permanent room? I'm sure he'd be more comfortable there with all his stuff," Mercedes asked.

"Carole has all the medical stuff and everything set up in the new room. I think once she takes the screws out of his knee, maybe he can go back," Kurt replied.

Tina placed her hand on his, "When does she think he'll be back on his feet?"

"I don't know," Kurt sighed, "He's got months of recovery and she doesn't know."

"He'll get there, dude," Finn took a seat next to Rachel.

Clearing her throat, Mercedes looked pointedly at Kurt, "How are you and him doing?"

"I'm okay." Kurt took a bite of food.

"No, I mean how are you two _doing_?"

Kurt shrugged, "We're friends."

"But do you want –"

"Let it go," Kurt pleaded.

"But –"

Shaking his head, he stood up, "I can't, Mercedes. Just drop it." Without glancing back, Kurt hurried from the cafeteria to his, Quinn and Mercedes' room. He hated running, but he just needed a minute. His feelings towards Blaine were so strong. He felt so much love towards Blaine. Almost as much as he had felt their first time together.

"Kurt, wait!"

He closed his eyes and sighed. Of course Mercedes would follow him. Did he expect anything else?

"Hey," her voice was soft.

Kurt turned to face her, trying to keep his face neutral.

"Kurt, I'm worried about you," Mercedes started, "Please, tell me. What is going on between you and Blaine?"

Kurt picked at the blanket on his and Quinn's bed, "Nothing."

"Kurt…"

"Nothing's going on Mercedes," Kurt stopped picking at the bedding but didn't let it drop from his fingers. "We still love each other, but that's it."

Gently, Mercedes pulled his hand from the fraying comforter, "That can't be it."

"No," Kurt sighed and finally looked her in the eyes, "It's not. He wants to be with me. He wants us to be _us_ again."

"And…"

"And I don't know if we can be," Kurt admitted.

Mercedes gave him a sympathetic look, "Baby, why not?"

"Because when I allow myself to go there…when I start to see us back together, I always see Blaine with _him_ and it kills me," Kurt admitted.

"He obviously is in love with you."

"I know," Kurt briefly closed his eyes, "And I'm still in love with him. I should…I should probably go and see him."

Mercedes looked helplessly as he started towards the door.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Rory sat quietly on the hood of one of the cars in the garage. The picture of his father held tightly between his hands. He was grateful that the only other person with him had been Burt who had gruffly walked in a few moments ago and grumbled a hello before disappearing on the other side of the room under a raised car hood.

"Mr. Hu…Burt?" He let his hands fall to his lap.

"Yeah," Burt's tone was rough and was followed by a clinking of metal.

"Do you…is there such a thing as fate?" Rory asked quietly.

"What?" Burt straightened up and removed his ball cap to scratch his head.

Rory hopped off the hood, "Fate? Do you think it's a thing?"

"Maybe. Why you asking?"

"I, umm, I found out something last night and I…I don't know," Rory said in confusion.

"What'd you find?"

Rory took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was still trying to understand it.

_"Rory… I think your dad…no, I know that your dad was my…brother."_

"_What?" Rory sat dumfounded. _

_Blaine looked up with a shocked look, "That picture, that's me and my brother. That's Coop."  
><em>

"_What?" _

_"My big brother Cooper left home when I was four. I don't remember a lot, but I just…I always thought he was the coolest big brother ever. He used to let me tag along sometimes to football games and stuff," Blaine looked back at the photo. It was taken a few months before Cooper left for college. They were at Cedar Point in Sandusky and Cooper had Blaine on his shoulders._

_Rory shook his head, "That's impossible. I can't…you're my Uncle Blaine?" _

"_He told you about me?" Blaine couldn't wrap his head around what was happening._

"_Yeah. He told me about you and my grandparents. He told me he hadn't spoken to his family since he left. That he and his parents got into a fight."_

_Blaine looked on in confusion; he never really knew the circumstances surrounding his brother's departure. "What'd they fight about?" Blaine wondered._

"_You," Rory couldn't believe what was going on. _

"_Me?" Blaine whispered._

"_Dad thought…he thought you were gay," Rory admitted. "He told your parents and I guess your dad and him got into a huge fight. Your dad told him to not come back."_

_Blaine blinked, unable to comprehend anything at the moment. "What was he like?"_

"_Dad? He is the coolest. He coached my hockey team. I remember one time he got one of the players from the Kings to come and like help us with our technique. It was awesome. He'd take me and my friends to games and stuff. He is –" Rory paused, "Was. He was…" _

"_I guess…I guess we're family now," Blaine handed the photo back to Rory, "Anderson's."_

"_My last name is Flannagan," Rory said sheepishly, "My mom's name was Flannagan and since she and my dad weren't married, it stuck."_

"_Okay," Blaine did his best at a smile, "As unexpected and unbelievable as this is, I'm glad I know what happened to Cooper and met you."_

"I think sometimes things are meant to happen," Burt pulled Rory from his thoughts. "If you want to call that fate then I guess it's a _thing_."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt carefully opened the door to Blaine's room. He took a deep breath and closed it behind him.

Scanning the room, he heard the toilet flush and second later Blaine hobbled out of the bathroom.

"You're not supposed to be up!" Kurt exclaimed and hurried over to Blaine's side. He gently took the other boys arm and helped maneuver him back into bed. "Next time you need to get up, wait for someone or just yell. You could hurt yourself even more."

"It's fine, Kurt," Blaine grumbled, settling back against his pillow. "I can go to the bathroom without needing someone there to wipe my ass."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "Why are you acting like this? What's going on?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know Kurt. I have fucking screws sticking out of my knee. I can't do anything but lay here all day until someone comes in to feed me or make sure I'm still breathing. My nephew, whom I never knew existed, happens to be Rory Flannagan and you…you…"

"What? Rory is what?"

"Nothing. Just another thing in my fucked up life," Blaine sighed.

"And me? I'm what?" Kurt chose to let it go about Rory. He knew Blaine had to get it all out. Let go of some of the emotions he was trying to bury and he didn't want to push too far.

"Nothing. I'm tired and I'm just being bitchy. Look, just come back later, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head, "Tell me."

"Fine! I've listened to you this whole time. I've gone along with it all. But damnit Kurt, enough is enough! You have to stop punishing me, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll say it a million times if that's what it takes. I love you. Only you. Yes, David and I did things, but it was only to...to comfort each other. I needed him to keep me sane. I needed him to help me forget about all the shit going on. I needed to feel something...love maybe. I needed to feel loved even if I wasn't in love with that person. I thought you were dead and it killed me, Kurt! You are it for me. You're my best friend. You're my lover. I just...I just need you to stop being mad at me and let it go. I just...I need you to...to..."

"To what?" Kurt whispered, trying to keep his voice even.

"To hold me like you did when I was your boyfriend. To kiss me and...and I need you to tell me that everything's going to be alright even though it's not," Blaine took a shaky breath, "I just need you because I don't know how to deal with all this shit. Please, Kurt just…" He was surprised when he suddenly found soft lips on his.

"Okay," Kurt whispered, breaking away, his lips brushed against Blaine's as he spoke, "Okay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"I'm sorry," Sebastian tentatively took a step into David's room.

David looked up stunned that Sebastian had come back. He hadn't expected to see the boy again that day.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I…left," Sebastian worried his lip and dug his toe into the carpet beneath him.

"Why?"

Sebastian shrugged and crossed the room to David's side. "There are things about me you don't know and I don't…we've only known each other a few weeks."

"Yeah," David said.

"Look, David, I…I like you, okay?" He blurted out in a rush. "I just, I've never…I've never done this before."

David nodded, "Me neither."

"I don't know what to do," Sebastian admitted.

"I don't either," David half smiled.

Sebastian exhaled, "I…maybe we can figure it out together? Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Blaine," Sebastian said, "You were adamant about Blaine when we found you."

David reached out and lightly touched Sebastian's hand before lacing their fingers together.

Sebastian felt a tremor run through his body and smiled.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

For the first time in weeks, Blaine felt a sense of calm fall over him. He and Kurt had continued to kiss (chaste, soft and sweet) for a little while. Neither had been in any hurry for anything more than a few stolen moments.

Kurt had shushed him when Blaine went to ask what was going on and had joined Blaine in bed. Blaine's head was currently resting on Kurt's chest as Kurt ran his fingers through messy curls.

"Are we okay?" Blaine rubbed his cheek against the fabric of Kurt's shirt.

Kurt's hand stilled in Blaine's hair, "I hope so."

"Do you forgive me?"

"Blaine," Kurt thought for a second, "I'm getting there. I love you and…I don't want to lose you."

"Kurt," Blaine lifted his head.

That's when Kurt felt his resolve start to crumble and he knew his decision. "I forgive you. I forgive you for everything."

"You do?" Blaine sat up, trying not to grimace when a sharp pain went through his knee.

"I do," Kurt laughed as Blaine grabbed him into a hug.

Sniffling, Blaine blinked, "I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back. I know we still have a lot to get past, but I promise, Kurt. I promise."

"I know," Kurt smiled, wiping away a stray tear that had escaped Blaine's eye.

"David meant nothing. He meant absolutely nothing to me. I never slept with him, not really. I couldn't…I wouldn't… I promise all it was –"

"I don't need to know the details," Kurt held up his hand, "But you promise, you never took that step with him? You never went that far?"

Vehemently, Blaine shook his head, "No. Only you. I've only done that with you."

"It still hurts," Kurt admitted, "I know that circumstances were out of your control. It was…I mean…it was cheating but it wasn't. I don't know how to reconcile that."

"I thought of you. All the time. Even when we were…I thought of you. I just needed that. I needed release, I guess. I needed to feel," Blaine explained.

Kurt nodded, "Okay." He stayed quiet for a few long seconds, "Can we just stop talking about this right now? I think I've had all I can handle right now."

"Yeah," Blaine returned his head to Kurt's chest.

"So, tell me about Rory," Kurt resumed combing his fingers through Blaine's hair.

Blaine kissed Kurt's chest through his shirt, "Turns out he's my nephew."

"Your brother Cooper? You don't talk about him much."

"Yeah," Blaine snuggled closer, "He left when I was four. I grew up trying to convince myself that I didn't have a brother any more. He never wrote, never called. I wish he would have tried. How stupid was I? I even tried to find him on Facebook. He was my big brother and I just…I idolized him. I was so stupid."

Kurt's hand left Blaine's curls and traveled down to his back. "You wanted your brother in your life."

"I did."

"I'm sure he had his reasons for staying away," Kurt sighed, "So where is he now?"

Blaine sniffled, "He died. Rory said they were on their way to Westerville to see me and our parents."

"I'm so sorry," Kurt pulled Blaine a little tighter against him.

"Me too," Blaine agreed. "I'm glad you're with me."

"I'm glad I'm with you too," Kurt leaned down awkwardly and pressed a kiss to the top of Blaine's head. "I'm glad we're here together."

* * *

><p>AN: So that's it for this book. Book 3, chapter 1 should be up next week (I hope!). Thank you all for reading so far!

By the way, I got a tumblr. I'm a newbie to it, so bear with me. But please follow me at anisaleefiction

Please review?


	22. Book 3: Chapter 1

"It sounds like it was a very lovely ceremony," Carole squeezed her husband and her son's hands. "Thank you for telling me."

Finn nodded, "I wanted to do something for you, mom."

"Thank you sweetie. It sounds like you and Kurt were very respectful to me," Carole smiled.

"I wanted you to be remembered right," Finn confessed.

Swallowing back tears, Carole let go of Burt's hand and engulfed her son in an embrace. Before any of this had happened, she had felt her son was starting to pull away from her. Not intentionally, but just because he was growing up into a man who was leaving her. But, after the attacks everything changed.

There were no choices when it came to life.

The only choice was to exist. To fight. To live.

It wasn't fair to anyone. Carole herself wanted to go home, get into bed and wake up to the same world they had only a few short years before. Everyday things like television, cars, even a luxury so small as bar soap were taken for granted. Sure, they did the best they could to get by, but this wasn't the life she had wanted for Finn or Kurt. She wanted to see them get their dream jobs, marry their soul mates and start families. Yeah, they could still get married and have a family – she just wanted them to be able to do it in a world that was safe; a world where they didn't have to have people standing on guard every single hour of every single day.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" Carole shook herself from her thoughts.

"I love you, mom," Finn blushed.

Carole felt her heart melt and gathered her son into her arms once more, "I love you too, honey."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

A crash followed by a curse followed by another curse flooded through the closed door. Kurt winced as he stood outside. Blaine had insisted he was fine to walk the few short steps to the ensuite by himself. Kurt had reluctantly stepped aside, letting his boyfriend make his own decisions. He knew it was too soon, but Blaine was determined after a month of recuperation, that he was ready. Despite, Carole and Sharon's insistence that he wasn't ready to walk on his own unsupervised.

"You okay?" Kurt called through the tiny bathroom door.

"Yes, fine!" Blaine shrieked just as a loud thump reverberated.

Kurt sighed, "I can help you!"

"I can piss by myself."

Giving up, Kurt walked the few steps back to the bed and sat down heavily. He didn't know what to do any more. He knew Blaine was frustrated. Blaine wanted to be back out there on duty with the others. Blaine wanted to do what he used to do – he wanted to be like how he was before. Truth was, he just wasn't going to be. Not right then at least.

Kurt's felt for his boyfriend. Carole had explained to Blaine that he shouldn't try to do more physically than he was ready for. In fact, she had recommended that Blaine only walk a few steps a day with the aid of either her, Sharon or Kurt. But, Blaine was determined and first chance he got he was out of bed on his feet by himself.

"You know that you could hurt yourself even more," Kurt called out.

The bathroom door opened, revealing a heavily panting and slightly disheveled Blaine. "I'm fine," he huffed.

"Okay," Kurt didn't argue.

Blaine nodded and stumbled a bit, making it back to the bed.

"See? Good," Blaine took a deep breath, sliding onto the mattress next to Kurt. He turned and pressed a surprise kiss on Kurt's lips.

Kurt laughed despite himself, "Good."

"Soon, we'll be able to go for walks in the garden. I hear that the lilacs are coming up nicely," Blaine chuckled.

"And the daisies and roses," Kurt joked, picking up Blaine's hand in his.

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand, "I miss you."

"I'm right here. I've been right here," Kurt lifted their joined hands to his lips.

"No," Blaine shook his head, "I _miss_ you."

"Blaine –" Kurt started to protest.

"Please?" Blaine asked, "I just want to be with you."

Kurt sighed, letting go of Blaine's hand. "Not right now," Kurt stood up.

"Kurt?"

"Just…don't push me, okay?" Kurt took a deep breath and wandered into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.

He and Blaine hadn't had sex since before David's confession. It wasn't that Kurt didn't want Blaine. He did. He was just having a difficult time getting past the fact that Blaine had _been_ with another man. He hated the idea of David touching Blaine in ways that Kurt was only supposed to be able too. He hated that David had seen Blaine the way that was meant for only Kurt to see. It was always in Kurt's head that David had held Blaine's most intimate part, had given Blaine pleasure.

The truth was he wasn't ready to go there with Blaine. Not yet. A part of him felt like he should. It wasn't like they were still virgins. Kurt had both been inside Blaine and had Blaine inside him and each and every time it had felt like love was filling him up and exploding from every inch of his body. He had never felt more connected or in tune with another person before. He guessed that some of his hesitation was born out of fear. Fear that the connection, the intimacy, the love wouldn't be felt like it had been.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Blaine called, suspiciously close to the door.

Kurt glanced in the mirror, illuminated by the daylight shining in from the window. He sighed. He looked terrible. His skin had a few stray blemishes by his hairline and his eyes had dark circles framing them. Some time ago, he had used up the last of the skin care products he had managed to scrape together.

Opening the door, Kurt shook his head. "Blaine, what did we just talk about?"

"I'm not an invalid!" Blaine didn't mean to yell.

"I didn't say you were," Kurt replied calmly.

Blaine frowned, "I'm sorry, it's just –"

"Frustrating?" Kurt gently laid a hand on the small of Blaine's back and led him back to bed. "I know, but your knee is getting better."

Blaine nodded, "I'm tired."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"You don't have to," Blaine shrugged, laying down and turning so his back was to Kurt.

Kurt leaned over the bed and pressed a kiss to the back of Blaine's head before quickly exiting the room.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The fresh air was cool and crisp. The sun was shining brightly against the sky. In another time this would have been the perfect day to hang around outside or barbeque. They could almost fool themselves into thinking they could. There hadn't been any signs of anything for the past couple weeks. It was calm. Incredibly calm and that altogether, was not necessarily a good thing. Yet, they were making the best out of it.

David sighed in content as he felt Sebastian settle a little further into his side. They had found an abandoned office with a couch facing a window overlooking Atlanta and had deemed it _their_ spot.

"It's nice out," Sebastian commented with a yawn.

"You tired?" David glanced at the younger boy's face.

Sebastian shrugged, "They asked me to fill in on guard duty outside. John got sick."

"You want to get some rest?" David asked. "I can go find something else to do."

"I'm good," Sebastian made no move to let David move. "Besides, you need rest too. You're still healing."

David shrugged. "Doc said it was only flesh wounds. Apparently those fuckers can shot, but their bullets suck. They were made out of plastics or materials or something that broke when they were fired."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," Sebastian leaned his head against David's shoulder.

"Me too," David agreed. "I think it's getting to be a good time for me to go back to the Insurgence."

Sebastian stiffened for just a second. "You want to leave?"

"A girl in the Insurgence, Melanie, is having my child," David stated. "I need to go back."

"I'll go talk to Dr. Fenton and the others. We'll get you back as soon as we can," Sebastian stated evenly, starting to pull away.

David frowned, "You don't have to go now."

"I should. You want to get back and it's important that I get you back," Sebastian couldn't look David in the eyes.

"Sebastian?"

"Just…never mind," Sebastian shook his head.

David sat up, "What?"

"I kind of…well, I kind of thought we were…you know what? It's stupid. You're having a baby and you want to be there. Of course you want to be there," Sebastian shifted.

"I do," David nodded.

"I'll go and –"

David stood up, grabbing Sebastian's arm, "Wait."

"What?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"I just realized that I…that we…never kissed. Well, properly anyways," David blushed.

Sebastian stood stunned for a moment. "No, I guess we haven't," he swallowed thickly.

"So…"

"So, maybe we should," Sebastian suggested.

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion from that point. Their lips met, almost timidly at first, before Sebastian took the lead wrapping his arms around David's shoulders and pulling him in. David's arms found their way to Sebastian's waist. His fingers brushed against Sebastian's hips before encircling him and holding him tight.

Sebastian moaned softly as David's tongue tentatively delved into his mouth. Soft flesh battled for dominance before Sebastian succumbed and let David take over the lead.

When they finally pulled apart, both panting for air, they were smiling.

"Come with me," David whispered.

"What?"

"To the Insurgence. Come with me. Be a part of it," David suggested.

Sebastian felt like someone hit him in the face with cold water, "L-leave this group and…"

"Be with us. Be with me," David said the last part with shyness in his voice.

"I…what?" Sebastian asked dumbfounded.

David reached out and laced his fingers with Sebastian's, "Or this group could join the Insurgence."

"I don't think so," Dr. Fenton's voice startled them both, causing them to separate immediately.

"What?" Sebastian looked up at the man.

Dr. Fenton sighed, "We're not going to join. The men want to head down south to Florida."

"Oh," Sebastian nodded. "I should get my stuff together."

"You're not going," Dr. Fenton stated.

"What?"

Dr. Fenton shook his head, "You are not going with us."

"Then where am I supposed to go?" Sebastian asked in confusion.

"With David."

"But what about you guys?" Sebastian wanted to know.

"We're old," Dr. Fenton tried to joke. "Sebastian, you have a chance, you need to take it."

Sebastian swallowed hard, "I..."

"Regardless if you go or not, you can't continue on with this group," Dr. Fenton made it known.

"Well, then, my decision is made," Sebastian pulled his hand out of David's grasp and stalked out of the room.

David looked after the other boy in concern, "Should I go check on him?"

"I'll go," Dr. Fenton followed the same path as Sebastian, stopping briefly to rest a hand on David's shoulder.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt sat down heavily next to Quinn on the bed in her room. She and Mercedes had been helping Tina plan her improv wedding.

"What do you think of this for the bouquet?" Tina held up a paper flower made from what appeared to be old receipt paper.

"Nice," Kurt yawned.

"You look tired," Mercedes commented.

Kurt nodded.

"How's Blaine doing?" Quinn asked.

Shrugging, Kurt yawned again, "He's getting there."

"Well, the girls are here for you. Well, us anyways," Tina smiled.

"Thanks," Kurt flopped backwards, not caring about how graceful – or not – it was. "Keep talking. I'm just going to close my eyes."

Mercedes shrugged at Tina's questioning look, and after a few more minutes of wedding details, they noticed Kurt's breathing even out and his whole body was lax.

"I feel so bad for him," Mercedes whispered. "Rachel said that Finn told her that Carole said he's taken over Blaine's care all by himself. He lets Carole and Sharon do the physical therapy stuff, but other than that, he's with Blaine all the time."

Quinn nodded, "He needs to take some time for himself, if only for an hour a day."

"He won't. You know he won't," Tina replied.

"We need to get him out of that room," Mercedes stated.

"Girls night?" Tina asked.

Quinn nodded, "Girls night."

* * *

><p>AN: This is proofread incredibly fast, but I wanted to get it up for you guys! I'll go over it properly tomorrow and edit. So please check that out :) Sorry for any mistakes. I also have VERY LIMITED internet access right now. So please bear with me if I don't answer your comments for a few days! :)


	23. Book 3: Chapter 2

The sky was dark. Black. No lights except for a faint glow in the distance. It made Sebastian tremble slightly. It was a brief reminder that they weren't alone – that some _creatures_ were out there waiting to possible annihilate the entire Earth.

Sighing, he leaned onto the windowsill. Some of the men had put up bars for security. He wished he could open it and feel the cool night air on his face. It had been a month. A month since Dr. Fenton made it clear that he wasn't going to be welcome into the group once they decided to move along. It was coming to the point. In less than 24 hours, everyone was moving along. He'd be leaving with David.

"You doing okay?"

Turning, Sebastian noticed Dr. Fenton standing to his side.

"You've not been yourself for a while. I'm worried," The doctor stated.

"You're kicking me out of the group, I'm great," Sebastian smiled sarcastically.

Dr. Fenton sighed, "You and I both know you need to do this."

"You made the decision for me," Sebastian turned his gaze to the window once more.

"Because it's what you want," Dr. Fenton raised an eyebrow, "Sebastian, when you find love –"

"I'm not in love!"

Dr. Fenton cleared his throat, "When you find love, you need to hang on to it."

"What if it's the wrong decision?" Sebastian turned to Dr. Fenton, fear in his eyes. "I know David's anxious to go back even though he keeps insisting he's fine here. Those people are home to him. What if…Dr. Fenton, I'm…I'm scared," he whispered the last part.

"What are you scared of?"

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Kurt chuckled as he watched Tina twirl around in her wedding dress. It was nice to be around such happiness. He reached out to stop the girl from turning so he could put in one last stitch.

"This is really happening!" Tina just about shrieked, "I'm marrying Mike today!"

"I'm going to stick you if you don't calm down," Kurt laughed.

Tina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and simply smiled as Kurt put the finishing touches on her dress. "Mike said Blaine was going to come and watch."

"He's going to try," Kurt murmured. "He wants to be there for you two."

"How's he doing?"

Kurt clipped the excess thread from the dress and stood up, admiring his work. "You ask me that every day."

"It just seems like it's taking a long time for him to heal."

"He's depressed which is not helping his progress," Kurt adjusted her strap. "But today is about you. You look stunning."

Tina pulled Kurt into her arms, "Everything's going to be okay."

"Today it is," Kurt hugged her, "You and Mike are going to be so happy."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Two heads shot up to see David leaning heavily on the wall, staring intently at Sebastian.

"I'll leave you alone," Dr. Fenton quickly excused himself, leaving the two boys by themselves.

After a few moments of awkward silence, David's breathing became slightly labored. Sebastian knew the other boy was tiring out just standing there. David's recovery had been going well and he had been responding well to treatment, but he was still healing.

"You shouldn't be up." It was the only thing Sebastian could think to say.

David waved his free hand, "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. At least sit down," Sebastian moved towards the older boy and sat down, watching David slowly lower himself to the ground.

Once they were both settled, David turned to Sebastian, "So…"

"So…"

"Why are you scared?" David asked again.

Sebastian swallowed, staring down at his lap. For a minute David didn't think he was going to answer.

"There are…there are things about me that you don't know," Sebastian whispered. "Things I did before."

David reached out to lace their fingers together, "I want to know everything about you. The good and the bad."

"I," Sebastian took a deep breath, "I was thirteen when I…when I lost my virginity. He was…he was seventeen."

"What?" David asked in shock. "That's…that's illegal."

Sebastian shrugged, "I told him I was sixteen. I met him at a party and my friend, Greg, told me to go for it. It…it wasn't one of my proudest moments."

"I'm sorry," David squeezed the hand in his, "That's what you were scared to tell me?"

"No," Sebastian closed his eyes, "There's more. A lot more."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Blaine groaned, as he stood up to tuck his dress shirt into the black pants Kurt had left out for him. He didn't know how the boy did it, but Kurt managed to create and scrape together a whole wedding for Tina and Mike.

"How do I look?" Mike asked, stepping out of the ensuite.

"Great man," Finn pushed himself from where he was leaning on the dresser.

"Thanks," Mike buttoned his suit coat. "And thanks for standing up with me today, you too Rory."

The youth nodded.

"I want to know who's next," Mike chuckled giving himself a look in the mirror. "Finn, you and Rachel?"

"No," Finn shook his head, "Not ready dude."

"How about you, Blaine? Any wedding bells for you and Kurt?"

Blaine shook his head too, "We're still working things out."

"What happened between you two?" Mike asked and Finn took a step closer.

"Let's not talk about that," Blaine shrugged, "Today is your day, Mike."

Mike cleared his throat, "You know what would make me happy today? Well besides marrying Tina."

"Name it," Blaine smoothed down his hair.

"I want you to be happy," Mike smiled at his friend.

"I am happy," Blaine put on his best smile.

Mike rolled his eyes.

"You're not," Finn replied, "Even I can see that."

Blaine sighed, "I'm getting there. But like I said, today is about Mike. Not me."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

David waited for Sebastian to continue.

"I was, what you'd call, a slut. Boys always found me attractive – blonde hair, blue eyes I guess. I liked the attention. It made me feel special. I liked to play around, play the badass I guess. That all changed when I turned seventeen."

"What happened? Did you fall in love?"

Shaking his head, Sebastian turned so he was fully facing David. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Only if you want to tell me."

"Okay," Sebastian sucked in a breath, "Greg and I were alike. We both liked to party and we both liked the attention from guys. David, I've done things with a lot of guys. Some, just because they were there. So, umm, Greg got sick. Really sick and was hospitalized. At first they thought it might be a really aggressive flu strand, but it wasn't just that. He had somehow contracted a really aggressive strand of the AIDS virus. Because of the strain on his immune system from both viruses, he…he died a few weeks later."

David scooted a little closer, leaning his forehead against Sebastian's. "I'm sorry."

"I remember thinking that at least now I know," Sebastian whispered.

"Knew what?"

"How I was going to die," Sebastian sniffled, "How it was all going to end."

David gently rubbed his thumb across Sebastian's knuckles, "Are…are you?"

"No," Sebastian met David's eyes, "I had several tests done and they all came back negative. After Greg's death, I stopped. I didn't want to be that person anymore."

"Hmm," David hummed, closing his eyes.

Sebastian sniffled once more, "I'm sorry. I should have told you before."

"You didn't have to tell me at all," David admitted, "I don't care what you did in the past. I've done things that I'm not proud of either."

"I love you," Sebastian sighed before realizing what he had said. "I mean…I…."

"Shh," David pressed their lips together.

Sebastian breathed in slowly when they parted, "I know it's soon, but I do. It terrifies me."

"I love you too," David replied, pulling Sebastian towards him so the younger boy was half in his lap.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The ceremony had been lovely. It was more than anyone had expected. Somehow Kurt, with the help of Santana, Brittany, Carole and a few of the other women, had created an elegant setting. They even had found a few cheap bottles of wine to toast the couple. Sharon had even made a proper cake to celebrate the nuptials.

"You doing okay?" Kurt stopped momentarily from flitting around the cafeteria, making sure that every detail stayed in place. Insurgence members had been coming in and out for the past couple of hours, each wishing Tina and Mike well and grabbing some food.

Blaine nodded, "Knee's just acting up. I'm fine. Go have fun."

"Do you want to go back to the room?" Kurt asked in concert, setting a gentle hand on Blaine's injury and gently rubbing soothing circles into the skin.

"No. I'm just being pathetic," Blaine tried to joke.

"You're not pathetic," Kurt moved his hand so he could take Blaine's.

Blaine sighed and watched Tina and Mike dance to some ballad being sung by Brittany and Santana. "I always imagined that would be us one day."

Swallowing thickly, Kurt didn't know how to respond.

"But…never mind," Blaine stood up.

"No. Tell me," Kurt gently pulled Blaine back down so he was sitting.

Blaine shrugged, "It's never going to be us, is it?"

"What?" Kurt frowned.

"You'll never forgive me."

Kurt shook his head, "What are you talking about? I forgave you a while ago."

"You don't have to lie to me. I'm going to go," Blaine stood up, leaving a stunned Kurt by himself.

It took a few minutes for Kurt to gather himself enough to stand up. He wasn't sure how to handle Blaine when the other man got like that. It had been happening a lot lately. Blaine's fight with his own self worth, confidence and depression had been occurring more and more.

"You okay?" Carole approached her step-son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything looks fantastic."

Kurt half smiled, "Yeah."

"Where's Blaine?"

Kurt shrugged, "He wasn't feeling well and…and went to lie down."

"Honey?" Carole knew that wasn't the whole story.

"I'm worried about him," Kurt admitted, putting on a smile as Tina glanced over at him. "He should be well on his way through recovery, shouldn't he?"

Carole nodded, "He should be progressing more than he is."

"What can I do?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Be there for him. That's all you can do."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

The road spread out in front of them. They had been dropped off a few miles from the motel after an emotional goodbye between Dr. Fenton and Sebastian. Both knew that they wouldn't ever see each other again.

"You okay?" David asked in a hushed tone.

Sebastian nodded wordlessly.

Trying to comfort the boy a little, David reached out and grasped their hands together. He could tell it had been hard on Sebastian. Dr. Fenton had taken care of the boy and David could tell that there was love between the two men. He also knew that Dr. Fenton wanted more for Sebastian. A few hours before they packed up, Dr. Fenton had pulled David aside and made him promise to look after Sebastian.

"Tell me about the Insurgence," Sebastian requested so softly that David almost didn't hear him.

David nodded and began to speak.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"No, Blaine! Stop!" Kurt tried to grab a hold of Blaine's arm.

Blaine shrugged him off and continued on his way towards the front door.

"You can't! Blaine! Just stop!" Kurt pleaded to no avail.

Continuing on his mission, Blaine shouldered his gun a little higher and walked out of the motel.

Kurt shook his head, "You're not fully healed. You could get hurt!"

"Then I'll get hurt," Blaine shot back. "I can't sit inside any longer, Kurt! I need to do something."

"We'll find you something. Please, Blaine, just stop!" Kurt looked around desperately, knowing that despite Blaine's injury, the boy was stronger than him. There was no way he could really stop Blaine without hurting the other man. With a sigh of relief, he spotted Finn looking on in confusion. "Finn!"

Blaine shook his head, "I'm doing this Kurt! I'm going back to work!"

"What's going on?" Finn jogged over.

"I'm going back on perimeter," Blaine said nonchalantly, trying to walk away from the two men.

Finn frowned, "Did my mom say you could?"

"I don't care what other people say. I'm doing this!"

"You are going to hurt yourself even worse!" Kurt argued.

Finn thought for a second, "Why don't we let him?"

"What?" Kurt almost shrieked.

"Just let him. He'll stand around the parking lot with the rest of us and he'll be fine," Finn shrugged.

Kurt sighed and nodded, watching Blaine already taking his place along the perimeter. "Fine, but if something happens to him it's your –"

"Oh my God!"

Both Kurt and Finn turned at the sound of Blaine's voice. Kurt was ready to run over to Blaine's side when he saw what Blaine was looking at.

Gasping, Blaine took a tentative step forward. "David?"

* * *

><p>AN: So this took longer than I anticipated. It's unbeta'd and all mistakes are mine. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :)


	24. Book 3: Chapter 3

A flinch.

Something so subtle that no one would even notice. It was just a tiny reaction, but Sebastian felt it. The younger boy followed David's sight line and he knew. There was a boy that David was staring at and Sebastian just knew it was the infamous Blaine.

"David?" Sebastian asked quietly.

That seemed to snap the older boy out of his trance, and he turned to give Sebastian a small smile. "I love you," David mouthed, squeezing Sebastian's hand and crossing the distance between them and the motel. Before anyone realized it, David was mere inches away from Blaine.

"Umm, hey," David didn't know what to say.

Blaine took an involuntary step backwards, "I…I…" 

"David?" Kurt asked in disbelief.

"I…I saw you die!" Blaine screamed, "I saw you die!"

"Blaine –" David started.

"You're dead! You're dead! They killed you! Those fucking Maligs killed you!"

David shook his head, reaching a hand out, "Blaine, please…"

"I can't…I can't," Blaine babbled and turned heel, hobbling back into the motel.

"I don't know," David started, shocked at Blaine's outburst.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kurt looked at David, "Come on inside. Tell me what happened."

David nodded and Sebastian tentatively reached out to grab a hold of his arm.

The three of them made their way back into the motel and Sebastian could only look around in shock at the illuminated lights and the community of people milling about the room. He took a deep breath and followed Kurt up a flight of stairs and into an empty motel room.

"Sit," Kurt nodded towards the bed and Sebastian followed David's lead and made himself as comfortable as he could on the bed.

"Well, first off, I'm not dead," David tried to joke.

Kurt nodded again.

"The…the group I was traveling with saw the attack. We found David," Sebastian commented, "I'm Sebastian, by the way."

"Kurt," Kurt cleared his throat, "Where were you guys stationed?"

"We had a place, an abandoned office building, in Atlanta."

Kurt sighed, "And how'd you end up here?"

"The group decided to move on. I came here with David," Sebastian shrugged.

"We're together," David admitted quietly.

There was something that flashed in Kurt's eyes that Sebastian couldn't read. "Good. I'm going to go see Blaine," he replied tightly and hurried from the room.

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"You okay?" Kurt's voice startled Blaine from his hobbled pacing in their bedroom.

Blaine shrugged and dropped onto the bed. "I thought he died. I thought he was dead."

"I know you did," Kurt sat next to his boyfriend.

"I left him. I left him Kurt. He was still alive and I left him," Blaine gripped his hands into fists.

Kurt shook his head and rubbed a hand down Blaine's back, "You didn't know. You saw him get shot."

"I left him," Blaine went on, "What does that say about me? I left a man alive out there with those _things_!"

"You did what you had to do," Kurt replied, "You came back to me. Alive."

Blaine sighed, "I just…how can he even stand to look at me knowing what I did."

"You didn't do anything," A voice from the door, startled both of them.

"I'm sorry," Blaine didn't know what else to say.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," David stated, stepping into the room. "Don't blame yourself, Blaine. I'm here. I'm fine. I…I found Sebastian."

Both Kurt and Blaine watched as Sebastian reached for David's hand.

"Don't, please Blaine, don't do this to yourself," David nodded. 

"Okay," Blaine replied.

"Okay," David half smiled, "We'll leave you two alone."

The two men exited the room, closing the door behind them.

"I love you?" Kurt offered.

Blaine nodded, "Love you too. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry if it's weird for you to see him after you know what…"

"I've accepted it and moved on. I know that what you and David did together was just out of comfort," Kurt didn't want to admit that it still ached to think about that. He still cringed when he thought of Blaine and David having any sort of intimacy with one another.

"I…I think I want to rest. If...if I'm going to get better, I-I should start doing what Carole says," Blaine half smiled at Kurt.

Kurt smiled back, relief flooding through him, "That's good. I'm very glad to hear that."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

Burt eyed the Commander as he came into the garage. "What's going on?" Burt raised an eyebrow.

"How many working cars do we have?" The Commander asked, eyes roaming around the garage.

"Right now, we've got five cars and a van up and running. Mike and Finn found an old camper up in town and we're almost done with it," Burt rubbed his hands on a towel and took a step closer to the Commander.

"How long before that's up?"

Burt shrugged, "Can have it running by the end of the week."

"Good," the Commander nodded.

"Sir," Burt looked at the other man. "Why the sudden interest?"

The Commander sighed, "One of the men got an old radio to work. We heard a signal that there's a safe zone in DC."

"So you're thinking of getting everyone up there?"

"Yeah. Burt, can I ask you something father to father?"

"Sure," Burt took in how tired the man looked.

"When the attacks first happened, my…my son was away at boarding school," the Commander chuckled humorlessly, "No, not boarding school. Military school. He was…he came out to me a year before the attacks happened and I…I thought that…I thought military school would straighten him out."

Burt took off his ever present ball cap and scrubbed the top of his head with his hand before replacing the hat. "You sent him to military school so he wouldn't be gay."

"I know it was stupid and God…I wish I hadn't," the Commander took a seat on the hood of a car, "The school was hit by those things. I saw it. There was nothing but rubble and bodies and I just…I couldn't…"

"There's a chance your son could've gotten out."

The Commander shrugged, "Maybe. But…Burt, if you were in position, would you go to DC? Would you risk your son's life to go to something that could be a fantasy?"

"I think these people need hope," Burt nodded, "And yeah…I want Kurt somewhere safe. If there's a chance something's in DC, than let's go."

"My son, he was about Kurt and Blaine's age," the Commander mentioned. "You know, I said something to Blaine a while back that I shouldn't have."

Burt raised a curious eyebrow.

"I told him some of the men had problems with his and Kurt's behavior towards each other. Yeah, one guy said something to me, but I agreed. Every time I looked at him and Kurt, I just couldn't help but picture my son. He could've been happy with someone who loved him and instead, I…I tried to change him."

"You can't change what happened," Burt tried to comfort the Commander, "You can only move forward. That's been me and Kurt's life. I'm sure your son knew you loved him."

"Right," the Commander whispered, "Thanks."

~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~(****)~~~~

"Was it weird?" Sebastian sat on the empty bed in an empty motel room. They had gone to David's room, only to find that Melanie had taken it over. She had been asleep on the bed, a bulge in her stomach, where David knew his child was growing. He had ushered Sebastian out of the room and made a promise to himself to talk to the woman in the morning.

"Seeing Melanie? No, not really. I mean it's my kid growing inside her, but it really hasn't hit me that I'm going to be a dad yet."

Sebastian shook his head, "No. I mean seeing Blaine again."

David shrugged, "A little. I thought I was in love with him at one point."

"And now?"

"Now? Now I know it wasn't love," David pulled Sebastian closer to him from where they were both seated on the bed. "He was the first guy I've ever done anything with."

Sebastian nodded.

"Was it weird for you?" David wanted to know.

"It…" Sebastian didn't know how to answer the question.

David reached over and lifted Sebastian's hand to his mouth, "I love you."

Sebastian nodded wordlessly.

"Hey," David forced Sebastian to look him in the eyes, "I. Love. You."

"Okay," Sebastian whispered.

"Okay," David whispered back and leaned in to claim the other boy's lips.

Things soon progressed, until they were both naked with Sebastian underneath David. There had been a fumbling, some spit, and pretty soon Sebastian was rocking against David's fingers. It had felt incredible, and both boys knew they needed more.

"I don't…I don't have anything," David stopped Sebastian's hips from rocking against his fingers, but didn't remove the digits.

Sebastian half smiled, "You mean you didn't come prepared?" He chuckled, "Check my wallet."

Reaching over the side of the bed, David fumbled with one hand to get the wallet from Sebastian's jeans. He opened it to find a condom. "Success!" 

"Success," Sebastian repeated.

"I don't even want to ask why you have a wallet or condom or still with you," David laughed.

Sebastian shrugged, "Just put it to good use."

Slipping his fingers from Sebastian's body, David quickly opened the condom and prepared himself. He returned his hands to Sebastian's waist and smiled at the other boy.

"I love you," David smiled and let his left hand wander from where it rested on Sebastian's waist. He let it travel over a smooth stomach and glide up to Sebastian's chest. He couldn't help but run his thumb over an already peaked nipple, eliciting a gasp from the man beneath him. He waited until Sebastian nodded right hand gently guided himself to Sebastian's waiting body.

Cautiously, he pushed the head of his cock just inside Sebastian's tight ring of muscles and moaned. It was already amazing and they hadn't really even started yet.

David reveled in the feeling and his left arm continued its exploration of Sebastian's upper body. He let his knuckles brush against Sebastian's nipple before his hand flattened and snaked up Sebastian's arm and finally stopping so he could lace their fingers together.

All the while, David's cock slipped further and further into Sebastian. When the other boy's breath hitched, he stopped immediately.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Sebastian whispered, feeling slightly stupid. He was far from a blushing virgin, but it still hurt a bit. "Just give me a second."

"Do you want to stop?" David asked softly.

Sebastian shook his head, "No. Just...just..." A moan was ripped from his throat as David shifted by accident causing him to brush that spot inside. "Yes!" Sebastian managed out, his eyes rolling back as he thrust up, trying to get David to move.

Taking the hint, David buried himself to the hilt. "You're so tight."

"Hmmm," Sebastian shuddered underneath the bigger man.

"Okay?" David leaned down and swept his lips over Sebastian's.

"Yeah," Sebastian deepened the kiss. He never remembered feeling that full - David was in deep. So deep that it was taking his breath away. "Move," he whimpered when the feeling threatened to overwhelm him.

"Yeah," David pressed his lips to Sebastians at the same time he pulled out, only to slowly thrust into the other boys pliant body. He repeated the movements until he had built up a steady pace.

Sebastian tightened his legs around thrusting hips. Gasps and moans mixed with the sound of rustling sheets became created a musical medley that became faster and harder, working towards a crescendo.

It all seemed to end too soon, but left both of their nerve endings tingling. Carefully and regretfully, David pulled himself from Sebastian's body and tied the condom off before tossing it over the side of the bed, making a mental note to pick it up later.

"I love you," Sebastian cuddled into David's side.

"I love you too," David was surprised at how natural it felt to say that, "I love you Sebastian."


End file.
